True colours – The side effects of the virus

In unexpected and distressing situations like the one hitting our world right now, the best and the worst in people rise to the surface. All day long we hear stories of the man who stole the last bag of pasta from an old lady’s trolley while musicians play in the streets for lonely people who listen from their windows… Extremes of selfishness and kindness all mixed up, spread evenly between all parts of societies all over the world. We are all human. From the murky shades of mud to the bright colours of rainbows, we are showing our true colours.

Suddenly the future looks all blurry. Only 2 weeks ago I took things for granted that have now disappeared, carried away on treacherous breaths of air: meeting friends for a pizza before all going to an ice-hockey match, keeping an eye on the Dutch auctions to see which tulips I was going to order for my West Dean course, going for a swim to wind down after a long day’s work… I don’t know when I will see my dad again…

All we can do is endure and not let fear and anxieties drag us down to the muddy pits of selfishness and anger. Be thoughtful, be kind and take a minute to look up at the clean skies. They are more beautiful than we have ever seen them in our life time. Most importantly, try to not let the people around you get too lonely.

I will put my brush where my mouth is and I am working on a series of videos to keep you busy. I am starting with tulips, to try making up for the cancelled West Dean course.

The first one is uploading as I write. I will be back before the end of the day…

Stay safe my friends.