From the Hart
Gallop barefoot in the park, have a picnic, run naked through a sprinkler – the change of season makes it the perfect time to play, says Miranda Hart
Hello, my lovely reader chum, and look, here we find ourselves heading into May together. What a thrill! If you’ve been with me and my previous monthly musings, you will know that I’ve been following the seasons closely, learning from nature and operating in a new way as a result. In winter, I slowed my pace and took advantage of the short days with increased rest and, if not reducing productivity, being more intentional about what I was doing and why, avoiding anything resembling the world’s pushy pace. As spring is springing, I can feel the benefit of this more fallow time and start to look forward to the longer days ahead.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was present enough to notice how long the evenings are in May. Before then, I found it was easy to wait until the height of summer before savouring and appreciating the lighter nights. It wasn’t until the first lockdown with Covid that I appreciated May in a different way. That enforced time of stillness – more so because I was living alone – created a new pastime I wished I had cultivated before: simply looking out of the window. So much to notice, so much to be grateful for, so much beauty, so much to lift the spirits, even in that difficult time. We often rush and fail to notice the free, enlivening gift of creation just outside our windows. I would listen to some music and watch the dying sun over clear London skies in that first lockdown and grieve what simple joy the busyness of my past had missed.
It taught me that whatever mess and darkness and struggle and sadness there is, it doesn’t mean there won’t be joy, beauty, wonder, goodness, kindness. You may have to look a little deeper and harder to find it, but it’s worth that courageous, faithful act to do so. And looking out of the window might just be the way.
It also taught me that when moving into a new season after our dark British winter, it’s important that the renewed energy we may have be used not just for meaningful or necessary work, but also to have such fun. Adults all too often lose their sense of play, and yet it’s so important to our health and life. Try to find the daily dose of such fun despite everything. Even if it’s a tiny moment, it might just be the one you remember, the one that opens up a sense of possibi
