Our Word of the Week is Reflective

This week we both feel that the word that best sums up how our week has been is REFLECTIVE. How interesting! Well, there’s been a lot to reflect on. Both in our family personally, as well as in our community and country.

Family reflection

We’ve been feeling blessed and thankful during this phase of life. We’ve been reflecting on how blessed we feel to be in our 50s and enjoying life, the fact that our kids have grown up so we will soon have an empty nest, and also that hopefully soon we will be able to visit our mom in Florida.

Our grey hairs are telling but we feel fine and we hope that carries on for a long time. I’ve got a date at the doctors for my diabetic review and as much as I’m not looking forward to it, it is what it is and there’s nothing much I can do, considering what we have been through.

We are planning (only in our heads) to renovate the girls’ bedrooms when they both go off to university (one is in the first year and the other will be starting in the new academic year) and we’ve even created a Pinterest board of ideas to dip in and out of. We know we won’t be able to do the hard manual work as we don’t have the specific skills but we are looking forward to doing some painting and all of the decorating and styling.

We are also happy that things are starting to open up and we can’t wait (but we have to) to be able to travel to see our mom in Florida. We were hoping it would be this summer but now it looks highly unlikely. Fingers crossed it will be soon enough though. By the way, have you heard how confusing the information is from the various government ministers on travel? ‘Green, amber, don’t go, go but be careful”. What a malarky! Anyway, I think we all have to decide for ourselves and our families when we think it is safe to travel, especially overseas.

We’ve been in touch with our roots a lot lately and have been watching a lot of Jamaican YouTubers and really reminiscing and missing home. I’ve even been looking at the pros and cons of living here and living in Jamaica, so much so that I have come up with a huge list which will have to be its own blog post and YouTube video on the matter. We will certainly let you know about it when it is ready.

Speaking about Youtube, our channel is growing and we are building a nice little community there too, you are welcome to come to check us out!

 

Community reflection

We are mostly happy with where we live and we do our best to add value to the neighbourhood. Consequently, in lockdown and even post lockdown, we have reflected on what more we can do to add value and make our community a happier place for all.

We have ensured that our gardens always look lush and inviting, (it is looking even lusher now with the rainy weather we have been having). We also have a few communal places which need taking care of. The council does not do the job often enough to clear weeds, chop bushes and shrubs and clean the streets. So we have started by doing the areas closest to our house and I have noticed that one neighbour has started to do the same, so hopefully, it will catch on and our community can be a model one to live in.

I must say as well that we have tried to get to know our neigbours better. We’ve exchanged baked goods as well as meals with another family who have really appreciated the efforts as they are lovers of Jamaican foods, especially rice and peas and jerk chicken. We are watching two little baby boys grow up right in front of our eyes. Both were born just before Lockdown 1.0 and watching them grow and experience this thing called life has been truly remarkable.

Country reflection

We love this country that we have come to call home. We love all the opportunities it has afforded us and we relish every positive aspect of living here. We reflect on what the future holds for us here and although things might seem gloomy now, I think there is greater yet to come. To be fair, with every new administration that comes into power, I feel disappointed but to be honest, they have exceeded my expectations so far.

I reflect on how, for example, when people lost their jobs due to the impact of the pandemic, the government stepped in and paid portions of peoples wages, helped out businesses and further helped those unemployed and those who were homeless. With blinkers on, the easiest thing to do might be to think about what the government did not do or what they could have done better; but I feel comforted and appreciative of the role the administration has played since the pandemic started.

If you think about it, (without blinkers on), there are many countries in the world where the government has no such capacity to help millions of people on a scale such as this. People, real poverty exists! So perhaps you should take a moment to just reflect on how blessed you are to live in the country and to be a benefactor of all the blessings living here affords us. We are certainly grateful.

And so as we reflect on this, the onus is on you to share something, some good deed, a smile, anything in the coming week. Have a good one.

Love,

Jo and Leisa