Kaberi Dutta Chatterjee walks through her Canadian neighborhood as lockdown eases and spring arrives, noticing people mowing lawns, more traffic, and small gestures like thumbs-ups between neighbors. She reflects on what the pause taught us and warns against forgetting those lessons once life returns to normal.
Chapters
Hello guys, how are you doing? After— are you still in lockdown? We seem to have— Canada seems to have come out of lockdown and with spring here now. Look at the sun and look at the sky, it's so beautiful. It's really beautiful. We are like going crazy over the weather, but it's still cold, little cold. It's about 10-15 degrees temperature, I don't know. And we are Like I forgot what summer looked like and summer sounded like. This is what summer sounds like, you know. Barely the grass has grown and they have started mowing. So mowing is on and those factories far away, can you see? Uh, that one and that one, that one behind this specific one. Yeah, that one. Can you see smoke? Coming out from there. This one and this one. That one too far away. Actually, this other one— oh, okay, I got it on the camera. I can see it with my eyes, but I can get it in the camera. So these, uh, smoke is billowing So fine, we are back to polluting the earth and we are back to— I think we are getting back to normalcy. Cars are moving, people are walking without any gloves or masks, and there's a lot more cars on the highway than I saw during the past whole month. Most importantly, this guy is mowing lawn. I mean, the grass has not even grown. Those trees are still brave. The other tree I I don't know if you can see far away, that's sprouting leaves. So it's a beautiful spring morning, uh, afternoon in Canada right now. The sun is high up and, um, yeah, we are kind of, um, having a nice time. But I've— yeah, this is what summer sounds like. Summer has a sound in Canada and this is what it sounds like. Oh God, this is so loud and the whole day From ten o'clock in the morning till five in the evening, people are going to mow their lawns, and this is going to be. This is very disturbing, but to the eyes, but very, very encouraging as an idea because you see, it's it's it speaks that summer is back. Summer is back, and there's somebody talking to somebody. So it's nice. Summer is back, and. Okay, you can hear me now? Yeah, somebody's talking to somebody upstairs. This guy is running away. His work is done, I think, and now he's going to go. He's just now roaming around free. I think he's just playing with the toy machine. That sounds so nice. I would love to do mowing like this. And did you see the other man give him a thumbs up? That's how Canadians actually treat one another. They really appreciate whatever jobs the other person do. And this guy is looking up to get something thrown down to him or something. So he's going back to that snow angel, uh, I think he's putting back his machine in that truck and then he's going to go home. He's done for the day. And I'm so relieved. I'm relieved to see so many people, and finally we can get out on the outside and watch people. Look at him, he's going in straight into the, into the van with the cart and everything, and this man gave him a thumbs up saying that he's done a good job. Yeah, he's doing a good job. I think you can hear me, so my voice is like a little soft. Okay, so let's say I'll— I cannot turn the camera around because I'm in a badger, but I wish you guys come out of lockdown and start leading your own lives. And we have beaten the virus. I think we have, and nothing can beat humanity. Nothing. But remember, please remember that whatever the lessons we've been taught. Okay, let me just turn it for a while. It's bad. Remember the lessons we've been taught, and that we should not take nature for granted. You know how it is to be at home. Just stay at home.
