My confinement continues.  I try to stretch out my daily tasks.  Where I once hopped out of bed in a rush to prepare for my busy day, I have now taken a much more leisurely approach.  With not only myself, but the entire world in self-isolation there is really not much outside of my home and garden that I can do.  

I do not believe that it is by chance that I find myself here in the southern mountains of India during this pandemic. Apparently I made it here under the wire. Shortly after my arrival to India, the borders closed to tourists and all non-essential travel plans. As the corona virus spreads, people are hunkering down and staying indoors whenever possible.

Kodai, which is usually a loud and bustling tourist destination, is quiet. There is no traffic in the streets, no people walking into town, no shops are open. It is a Kodaikanal that I have never experienced before. It has become my paradise, or my prison depending on my perspective. I choose the latter. The music from my iPad is filling the air from my front porch with the sounds of the Canadian Brass and they are accompanied by the most wonderful symphony of bird songs. There are no dogs barking, no car horns, no people yelling. This has become the most peaceful and relaxing setting in which I have ever found myself. A prison? No. It feels like I was gently escorted halfway around the world on the wings of angels and placed amongst the most beautiful collection of trees, flowers and birds. The garden that I find myself in is truly amazing.

My temporary home has a story to tell all in itself.  It is a 140 year old British built stone home.  I have sacrificed some western luxuries but find it difficult to complain.  I have truly landed in the Garden of Eden.  Keeping that perspective will be my daily mental challenge.

It was the call of friends that brought me back to India for the fifth time in 4 years.  Although I do love Calgary in the summertime, enduring through those Long, cold winters does not do much to keep me at home.  So here I am again. Drinking in the warm sun and listening to the sounds of nature all around me.  If I could identify all the plants that I see while sitting on my front porch, it would be easier to convey to you more accurately the beauty of my current setting.  That may be a task I should take up depending on the length of my confinement/quarantine/isolation.  

I shall continue to try and define my purpose in being here as the days roll on.  I’ve lost track of the time.  Hours, days, weeks. They all run together into one and can only be described as existence.  My daily purpose will be to see what I can do to restore the beauty of a garden around me that needs tending.  I’m on the brink of an adventure.  It will be exciting to see how the weeks unfold ahead of me.

Back to my initial thought.  I believe this is day . . . 3?