As I sit quarantined in an apartment in Cuenca's centro, I'm tempted to write about my experience of being immunocompromised during the COVID-19 pandemic, but instead...
Here's a video of a donkey licking sweat off my hand after a long hike:
And a picture of three piglets cuddling:
And the unconditional love I felt when meeting a new, magical tree species (Queñua tree):
The symbolism of teamwork in eusocial species, such as leaf-cutter ant colonies:
These unbelievable plant fractals:
A goat kid wanting to play, and a kitten not having any of it:
The resilience and adaptability of plants:
An adorable Tiphiid wasp:
This exquisite, undisturbed Amanita fungus:
These calfs enjoying an afternoon snack of molasses and mineral salts:
A Long-tailed Sylph soaring high above Bogotá:
These perfect Tigridia pavonia and Brachyotum sp. blooms:
The company of some four-legged, furry friends when I started to feel sick:
And a reminder of the healing power of music and nature:
There's a lot going on, and a lot of great advice to follow to keep others and yourself safe. Follow the advisements that best fit your situation, and we'll keep taking this one day at a time.
I've been doing my best to stay soft during this hard time (thanks for the reminder from the Instagram of odeanddiefreude) and wanted to share the ways I've found joy and connection:
Catching up on my nerdy podcasts (Alie Ward's insight and humor in her Ologies series will never bore me); actually finishing a book before starting a new one (just finished Tommy Orange's, "There There," and started Dr. Anita Johnston's, "Eating in the Light of the Moon"); listening to comedians to get my endorphin levels up (some personal favorites are John Mulaney, Wyatt Cenac, and Hannah Gadsby's Nanette special); playing and writing songs with my ukulele and mini-harmonica (if you don't have any instruments, there's always new songs to be listened to or sung-along with); meditation, breath-work, and gentle yoga (because I haven't been able to go outside nearly as much as I usually like to, I've been enjoying Plants FM, which translates plant biodata into music using PlantWave); watching the stunning and sensational videos of Li Ziqi creating food and handicrafts using traditional Chinese techniques and simple ingredients; and watching VH1's "I Love the __'s" series (I'm only human...).
Sending love and care to all.
P.S. Shoutout to my cousin who gave me the idea of watching VH1 re-runs. And to all of my family and friends who have supported me during this time
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