Outside My Window

Our master bathroom is on the top floor of our home. The one window inside of it is lodged into the slant of its steep angled ceiling. After deep cleaning the shower on Monday, I opened that window all the way up to allow some fresh air inside to help ventilate the room. Upon opening, I sought to pick up the rest of the bathroom, but I found I could not continue.

Instead, I found myself mesmerized by what lay right outside my window.

I saw the flaming bright yellow of our neighbor’s Moses bush. (I do not know the correct term for this shrub. When Scott’s mom visited last spring, she said it reminded her of Moses and the burning the bush, so I now think of them as Moses bushes.) I spotted the first pink blossoms of the tree in our backyard. I listened to the birds chirping, as if harmonizing in celebration of the onset of spring.

I stood glued to the spot, right in front of the window – as close as possible to it without having to climb on top of the toilet (the window is situated right above it). 🙂

I realize this may sound a bit silly. You may be thinking, has this girl never spent any time outside before? Is she unfamiliar with the scent of fresh air? But truly, it had been so long since I had experienced more than a few minutes of being outside or cracking a window open for fresh air at home. We went out of town here and there in December and had beautiful weather in D.C. in February, but with the exception of a few days, most of the last four months have been cold and rainy. Only a handful of days allowed the windows to stay open for longer than 10 or 15 minutes or for us to spend a pleasant afternoon outside.

So, there I stood, taking in deep breaths, one after the other. Outside smelled so good. It smelled so German.

That moment in front of the bathroom window immediately transported me to the Bavarian Alps. In an instant, I was back on our balcony in Garmisch – sipping my morning coffee, inhaling that fresh, mountain air and admiring the towering beauties at our doorstep. It also made me think about walking the Camino de Santiago. One of my favorite parts about that experience was getting to be outside for hours upon hours each day. And that brought me to my and Scott’s trip to the Cotswolds, our most recent countryside jaunt. It was on that trip that Scott and I got serious about our 10-year plan and discussed how we could make our dreams of living near the mountains a reality.

When I was 25, I made a list of goals of what I wanted to accomplish and focus on throughout the rest of my 20s. One item on that list was to spend more time outside. This moment was the second time in the last two days I had been reminded about how much I love being outside and why I made that goal.

The first time occurred right after we found out the gyms were closed due to COVID-19. Instead of turning around and heading home, I decided to walk the outdoor track at Southside gym. It weaves around a soccer field, baseball fields, and tennis courts. Those familiar sports fields, along with the crisp, spring air brought me back to days upon days spent on the Fort Dorchester soccer field. Despite the gym closures, I could not help but smile thinking back to those times and still getting in a good walk.

Spending time outside brings me so much joy!

Which made me think…how can I get out and enjoy nature more where I currently live? In a small, German village. Now that all of our spring trips are cancelled. In this unique time when we are not allowed to leave the local area. (There were a lot of outdoor activities on my list only an hour or two away from our house that, sadly, we can no longer do at this point in time.) Well, I can take walks, grill out in our backyard, or picnic at the local pond (as long as it’s not too crowded).

And then I got even more granular.

What can I do right now? Day in and day out? When there is working to be done. And you are advised to stay inside your home as much as possible. And I am unable to take a walk or have a picnic at the local pond because the path or the grass is already too crowded.

This.

The simple act of opening a window.

I can take a moment of pause each day to “breathe it all in”, truly experience the present, and most importantly, give thanks for it.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing this week! I have been taking a moment each day to savor the natural beauty right outside my window. To be fully present, right where I am. Sometimes that looks like morning coffee curled up on the couch and surveying our backyard tree. (I am not sure, but I have a feeling it is some sort of cherry or almond blossom tree. It was predominantly buds on Monday and now it is about three-fourths of the way blossomed!) Other days, it is standing by the open window, taking in deep breaths of fresh air, with Tigger at my side on the sill. And almost every day this week, I set aside time to turn off the podcasts and the music, so as I prepared a meal or worked on a blog post, I could only hear the natural soundtrack of chirping birds delighted by springtime!

These are such simple, ordinary practices. Inspired by an even simpler, more ordinary moment.

But, I am finding, it is in the simplest of rhythms that I am able to stay most grounded in such a tumultuous time.