Sometimes an urban garden and the birds of its inhabitants—our neighbors—can be enough to help us look within, to realize the importance of the natural world, of being alive. As José Saramago said, “if you can look, see. If you can see it, take a look».
Last Friday, November 20th, the renewal for another 15 days of the state of emergency in Portugal, which began at 00:00 on November 24th and ends at 23:59 on December 8th, was approved.
Now, a differentiation of measures by municipality is foreseen, with four levels of pandemic severity:
>Moderate: Municipalities with less than 240 cases per 100 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
>High: Municipalities with a number of cases between 240 and 479 per 100 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
>Very high: Municipalities with a number of cases between 480 and 959 per 100 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
>Extremely high: Municipalities with more than 960 cases per 100 inhabitants in the last 14 days.
For the “very high” and “extremely high” level councils, in addition to the measures applied to the entire national territory, the following are also observed:
— The ban on driving on public roads between 23:00 and 5:00 on weekdays;
— The ban on driving on public roads on Saturdays and Sundays between 13:00 pm and 5:00 am;
— The ban on driving on public roads on December 1st and 8th between 13:00 pm and 5:00 am;
— On November 30th and December 7th, commercial establishments must close at 15 pm;
— Action to inspect compliance with mandatory telework;
— Maintenance of the establishments' opening hours (22:00, except for restaurants and cultural facilities at 22:30).
It is mainly for these municipalities in Portugal, with “very high” and “extremely high” levels, that I write these lines and propose the discovery of “Um Lugar Feliz”, even in times of sadness, without needing to go very far, making choices of personal nature and the management of your family time.
The places where we were born or inhabit have stories to teach us. All external landscapes contribute to our internal dimensions. Sometimes an urban garden and the birds of its inhabitants—our neighbors—can be enough to help us look within, to realize the importance of the natural world, of being alive. As José Saramago said, “if you can look, see. If you can see it, take a look».
There is a wisdom hidden in a mountain; there are emotions that only the sea can transmit to us; a wood or a forest can help us find our true path.
In your book «Um Lugar Feliz», Sofia Batalha proposes us to explore the surrounding landscapes where we live and my suggestion is that you do it, when you can leave the house, for example, on your weekend mornings.
Instead of tidying the room when you wake up, do it in the afternoon; leave lunch early in the evening. The bed won't mind if it's not made, the clothes to be ironed won't complain. The house withstands a few more hours with dust. Believe. I'm married, I have two kids, and I'm able to make them (and feel!) a lot happier with these small daily priority changes.
Put on your sneakers or hiking boots and explore. Watch your children smile as they climb a tree, climb a rock, feel the earth or sand between their fingers. Why not climb to the highest place where you live? Discover the bank of a river? Walking along the cliff? The richness of Portugal's landscape is such that you will not lack places to discover or rediscover, with a new look, just a short distance from your home.
According to a Sofia Batalha's book, the landscapes to explore according to the year of our birth are:
->Center — Nucleus and Labyrinth (for those born in: 1959, 1968, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2013)
->Deep Waters of the North — Ocean, Sea, Rivers and Springs (for those born in: 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008, 2017)
->Mountains of the Northeast — Mountains, Cliffs, Cliffs and Escarps (for those born in: 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2019)
->Dense Forests and Ancestry of the East — Roots, Trunks and Cups (for those born in: 1961, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2015)
-> Southeast Woods and Gardens — Flowers (for those born in: 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005, 2014)
->Southern Deserts — Steppe and Arid Plains (for those born in: 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009, 2018)
-> Southwest Fertile Land — Vegetable Gardens, Orchards and Valleys (for those born in: 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007, 2016)
->Western Lakes and Estuaries — Dunes and Swamps (for those born in: 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993, 2002, 2011, 2020)
->Noroeste Caves and Rocks — Rocks, Stones, Cities (for those born in: 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003, 2012, 2021)
The purpose of this book is not the astrological definition of the birthscape. This is just an “appendix” theme to create a personal identification in an individualistic culture like ours. A starting point for places with which, perhaps, you will have a more natural affinity.
The ultimate goal of «A Happy Place» it is the deep, two-way connection with the nature around us, wherever we are, regardless of the circumstances—of living in a state of emergency.
Take advantage of this pandemic to return to worrying about the landscape where you are, who you are. Find your individual definition of the landscape, allow it to rescue its history and the unique and valuablely diverse relationship with the place where you live. And so, even sad — because no one can remain indifferent to the suffering of so many families who see their loved ones die —, they can feel happier, in their places, in their landscapes, inside and outside themselves.
Author: Analita Alves dos Santos is a Mother concerned with environmental issues…and not only
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