A Chic Paris Lockdown – Part 2: Day 15 – Lessons Learned

 November 17, 2020

Day 15 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days at Home, is called “What will you change after this time?” Fiona is talking about the national lockdowns of Winter/Spring 2020 in response to the CoVid-19 pandemic. She writes that, during her home nation, New Zealand’s, lockdown, she felt a renewed excitement at writing. She points out that, while we all experienced big forced changes this year, maybe we have learned something good from those changes. Perhaps we can move forward into the future choosing our own changes based on what we learned.

This is a deeper question than I am actually prepared to address. I can list out the many things that I learned from my own experience in lockdown in Paris. For example, I really don’t like anybody questioning me about where I am going and if I had my “papers” to show that I can be outside. (No matter that I was completely supportive of the very polite and professional French police’s mission, I found that I bitterly resented even the slightest hint of official questioning of my daily activities.) I learned how to use video-conferencing software and how to build professional-style relationships using electronic means (hint: your mother was correct – write thank-you notes. Write positive “notes” for all kinds of reasons – every single day. Without face-to-face, in-person interaction, the written word becomes our most powerful ally in building cooperation and rapport.) I learned how to “see” the little details in my 1-km radius allowable walking zone. I learned how to cook a few new dishes. I learned how to use the on-line catalog of my neighborhood libraries.

Deeper, more profound learning is called “realization” in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. When we learn something to the point that the learning changes our behavior, that is called “realization.” (I read about this idea in David Michie’s light-hearted yet thought-provoking book, The Dalai Lama’s Cat and the Art of Purring.) Right now, sitting in my Paris apartment during another national lockdown, I can’t determine yet what deeper changes are brewing inside of me. Maybe I need some time to let the experiences and thoughts roll around in the back of my mind before I can pull them out and study them in the bright light of day.

What about you? What changes do you see in your thoughts as a result of this crazy year of pandemic?