I have seen this suspended heart many times on my walks through Rosetta McClain Gardens. I thought it endearing and sweet to see how it hung there between a thin branch and a wooden post. But when I came across it this week, because we are still allowed out for short walks, it had a new meaning for me. This plastic heart reminded me of our own self-isolating, suspended hearts in this new age of Covid-19.
Even as we are self-isolating, distancing, quarantining, staying away from each other, until this health crisis is under control, we are longing more deeply for our human connections. We can’t take each other for granted any longer and as we sit isolated in our homes, we are reaching out. Thankfully, in this age of social media, we are connecting with each other more mindfully than ever before.
Some of us have been good at maintaining relationships with family and friends without being physically with them. For those of us who are introverts, who love solitude and seek time alone, I think, it’s a bit easier, because we have practiced disembodied communication; we know that reaching others by our words, our minds, and our hearts, can be a deeper connection than being physically present.
But even we, the introverts of the world, still crave human touch and presence: to see someone we love; to read their emotions; to react to their smiles; to see the joy or sadness in their eyes; to give them an embrace; and to touch their hands. These are the most human ways of fostering love and connection with one another.
It is my wish that once this health crisis is over, as all things do eventually come to an end, that we remember to keep reaching out to one another.
I am thinking of my family and friends throughout Canada, Portugal and the Azores, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe and I am wishing them love.
Emanuel Melo torontonian azorean writer 
I’d secretly harbored the dream of driving up to Toronto this spring to see you when it was convenient for you, to sit in your backyard with you for hours, to visit the Rosetta McClain Gardens (which through you I feel I already almost know), and to get some Portuguese food (John longs for a Galão, I’m sure). Oh well… to quote Stephen Sondheim:
But where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns.
Well maybe next year.
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Beautifully said, as always my friend.
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Lovely Emanuel, thank you.
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I love this Emanuel, I share your hope that we will continue to value those connections after this is all over.
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thank you Em – well felt and said – my good wishes to you and everyone as well – may all of our hearts remain connected, vigilant, good spirited and strong, so that one day when this is all over and done, we can once again gather together and with the power of love and touch, rebuild everything that this ugly and powerful virus has and will destroy
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Well observed and said, Emanuel: the red heart suspended and in limbo waiting for better times, made better by the confinement. Some people won’t see it this way or be able to enjoy it. They are either on the front-line or burdened with family and financial responsibilities. We are among the lucky few, aren’t we?
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Eu penso que esta”privação colectiva” vai mudar algo em todos nós. Para melhor. Creio que ficaremos todos mais próximos e valorizando o que tínhamos e por vezes nos esquecíamos. Como os laços de amizade/família. O Amor.
Os resultados negativos desta crise…prefiro não pensar neles agora. Cada coisa na altura devida. Agora é tempo de sermos apenas positivos.
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Obrigado, Dulce. Permite-me esta tradução que fiz em inglês para que os meus leitores que não lêem português possam apreciar as suas lindas palavras:
I think that this “collective loss” will change us for the better. I belief that we will become closer to each other and value what we had and, sometimes, took for granted. Like our ties with family and friends. Love itself.
I prefer not to dwell on the negative aspects of this crisis…for now. What’s important at this time is for us to try and remain positive.
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This is a very positive and uplifting comment. Thank you.
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Thank you Emanuel!! Love your writing. Miss you. We need to set up a phone date! Marcia
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
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Thanks be to God for the Rosetta McLean Gardens. Such a peaceful place.
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We hope this crisis end as soon as possible, what a mess…
Stay safe.
Regards from the Azores! 🙂
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Thank you so much for your words and welcome to my blog: from Toronto, Canada to you in the Azores um abraço virtual.
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Foi bom ler sobre isto do ponto de vista de outro introvertido. Um introvertido emigrado? Aterrei agora aqui, ainda tenho que explorar mais para saber a história.
Hoje já está tudo melhor, mas ainda com muito caminho para percorrer. A volta que este ano nos deu…
Boa sorte, por aí!
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Seja bem-vinda ao meu blogue. Fico muito reconhecido pela sua visita e agradeço-lhe as suas palavras de apoio. Espero que as coisas estejam bem consigo no seu cantinho do mundo.
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