Self-isolation. Lockdown. Quarantine. Social distancing. The buzzwords of 2020 symbolise forced separation in a world so connected yet so far apart. Seeing loved ones is no longer a given, physical touch is restricted, and many are unable to visit the people they care for the most.
“Did you come alone?” Jeannette asks. I know this code. My conversations with Jeannette have been rare since I left Bristol, left home, limited to Christmas pop-ins or off-chance visits. But our interactions always share a common theme. Questions include “shall I get my wedding hat?”, and “is she the one?”, though this is more subtle. “Yes, I came alone,” I say, and we both understand the language between words, the communicated yet unspoken, the space between lines.
By the law of the family tree, Jeannette was my auntie. But by the law of heart and the law of feeling, she was my grandmother. Sadly, by the laws of nature, her body was slowly giving up on her, the effects of a stroke compounded by rapidly-developing cancer and old age. Physically she was frail; bones protruding, cheeks hollow. But in spirit?
Do you dare to be brave? Do you dare to remove barriers and allow life’s flow to abundantly flood your heart? Do you dare to be shaken to the core? Do you dare to be truly seen? Do you dare to be vulnerable? Do you dare to confront fear, to discover the treasure beyond?
Do you dare to explore these qualities outside of romance? To cultivate intimate connections with friends, family, colleagues, strangers on the street? What about those you dislike, disagree with, resent, judge? Could you love generously, knowing the most profound expression of love doesn’t discriminate?
500 Days of Summer is one of my favourite films. Its best scene shows Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) dancing through the streets with a beaming smile, slapping hands of strangers as “You Make my Dreams Come True” plays in the background. Tom is ecstatic; he’s consummated his relationship with the woman he’s infatuated with, Summer (Zooey Deschanel). His celebratory jive personifies something commonly felt — the giddying, joyous insanity of falling in love.