YES, MR. FRODO! THERE IS GOOD IN THE WORLD
Wheeling the shopping cart out of the store and loading groceries into the trunk of my car, I wondered, “Why is my throat dry?” Buckling into the seat belt I swallowed and wondered again, “Am I getting a sore throat?”
I canceled all plans to get together with special people over the holiday, and, sure enough, as I pulled the last Kleenex from the box on Christmas Eve and dabbed cream onto a stinging Rudolf-like nose on Boxing Day, my suspicions were confirmed.
“Oh, it’s just a cold,” I breezily told people.
“Have you had a COVID-19 test?” was the first thing on their minds, if not their lips.
I shut myself away, quarantining for the benefit of others and my own peace of mind. I rested much and withdrew from the busy world around me.
“Well, that’s disappointing,” I thought. “No family get together. COVID-19 has shut down my life so much, and now this!”
But, as Samwise Gamgee said to Frodo Baggins, “there’s some good in this world.” 1
In the back of a closet I found a jig-saw puzzle. Soon I was absorbed by the picture gradually taking shape of the plants and creatures that live in ponds. The colours and shapes slotted nicely together to form Scented Pond Lilies, Water Willows, some Large Mouth Bass, a bright blue Kingfisher, a Ribbon Snake and an Eastern Crayfish among the Broad-Leaved Cattails in and around the water. Oh, the satisfaction of creating a perfect picture. Only one piece missing! Oh, there it is, under the table! Perfect! In the midst of misery I found the joy of getting every detail exactly right and achieving perfection!
I discovered another delight. Turmeric tea! Someone had given it to us, probably because they didn’t fancy it either. But, when you have a cold, it’s spiciness, steaming hot with a spoonful of honey, clears the nasal passages and feels really, really soothing!
Oh! The delicious Christmas Feast and the New Year’s Banquet I enjoyed! Others had prepared special holiday meals for their family and friends and they sent me their leftovers. A couple of minutes in the microwave and I had instant festive food with all the trimmings!
On a milder day, amongst the bitterly cold ones, I ventured out for a walk. It felt so good to breathe the cool, refreshing air, see the pristine whiteness across the fields, foothills and Rocky Mountains and marvel at the hoarfrost clustered on the bushes and chain link fences.
“Hello!” I called to a resident who was coming out of his garage. Suddenly, I was surrounded by two friendly chubby, puppies. They didn’t have a thought about social distancing! They were oblivious to germs, viruses and social convention. They joyfully ran to me, ran around me, followed me and loved me. Their owner called them, but they were new to him and paid no attention. We laughed, those puppies and me! We laughed and accepted one another with glee. Down the road I went on my way home. They followed me, greeted me, ran circles round me, bounded half way back to their owner when he called, and then came back to me to fill my afternoon with pure joy!
Finally their owner came and bundled one round, pudgy healthy body under each arm, apologised and turned to go back to his home.
“No! No! Don’t apologise!” I called, “Your puppies made me happy today!”
Sam, you are right! So much bad happens, but there is good in this world, too.
by Andrea Kidd
1 From The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
