Bells and Hugs

 

Outside the light increases through the curtains as the church bells ring six times. 

We'd been thinking about taking the dog to the beach so he could do zoomies, and we could see the sunrise, something easier in the winter than May.

We've been known to get a split of champagne and croissants from the first baking at the boulangeries and wait for the sun to color the sky pinks and yellow before it made its appearance.

 

Each sunrise is a little different. My favorite was the day when the sun was square as if it had slept all night in a box and still  had to stretch into its round shape.

When Rick read last night about a plethora of jelly fish at the beach, we decided to postpone for a few days.

As I lay in bed, I thought about yesterday when we ate tartiflette at a St. Genis restaurant with a couple who had been my neighbors in Geneva. The had retired to the U.K. but also had a small place at the port which they visit two times a year or did pre-Covid. I've memories over the decades of good meals, adventures as we explored various sites in our area of Southern France or over the border in Spain. Those visits stopped during Covid.

Robin gave me a big hug as we arrived in the parking lot. He gave me another as we left. We felt safe. I've been 3x vaxed, recovered from a mild Covid and been tested negative twice, the last time the day before. He had been vaxed four times. There was minimum dangers.

I've missed hugs. Body language greetings have changed. The two or three-cheek kisses also have disappeared as had handshakes. Somehow a fist bump isn't the same.

There's something about being enveloped in someone's arms and enveloping them. There are people whom I melt into as they melt into me.

I think of the Hôpitaux universitaire de Genève (HUG) pronounced Whoog by locals I think of it as hug, remembering the warmth and nurturing I received during my cancer treatments.

By now the church bells were ringing seven time. At 7:05 and 19:05 they ring 34 or 35 times. I'm never sure of my count, but they are a part of our day. We can tell the difference rings from time keeping, mass, weddings and funerals.

Another day is starting. There will be more bells, more hugs.