International events can make or break a walk for me. Last week, when Donald Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up’ Iranian oil fields, the Straits of Hormuz were the most dangerous place on earth, and we stood on the brink of global recession, I walked to my friend’s nearby yard early one morning.
It was a glorious day. The sun was shining. Primroses and daffodils shone and danced in the breeze. Blackthorn blossom lit up previously dull hedgerows.
I didn’t see any of it, as a pall of anger and despair hung over me.
‘World leaders,’ I muttered. ‘There’s a clue in the name. They’re meant to be leading, creating peace, tackling climate change, not setting fire to the Middle East, unleashing the dogs of war, and threatening all our lives and dreams.’ There was more swearing than this, but you get a sense of it.
A blackbird’s joy
Then, as I neared the horses’ field, a blackbird burst into song. He perched at the top of a cherry tree and sung his heart out, every trill sounding like liquid joy. The darkness around me broke.
Today, I watched as Dame Sarah Mullally was installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, and the first woman in the role.
For much of my career I was a religion reporter, so it was odd to watch it on TV. But many of my old chums were there, informing or creating the media output. Was I the only person watching the coverage to wonder who the pool photographer was and where the communications team were sitting?
Spontaneous applause
There were points in the service when Dame Sarah was visibly moved by the overwhelming circumstance in which she found herself. And, when the service was over, the congregation spontaneously burst into sustained applause and cheers.
‘There goes the glass ceiling,’ I thought.
There are moments when the joy and celebration of life can’t be contained in stillness, so I headed out round the village. Even in the biting wind, the daffodils and primroses were still dancing in the sunshine. The blackthorn still lit up the hedgerow. This time I could see it.
The blackbird was in full song by the horses’ field. Perhaps he was also celebrating, as well as declaring his territory and seeking a mate. He lifted my spirits still further.
Today, it felt as if there was hope, even fleetingly. It is not just idiots and autocrats who get elected. It can be people of compassion, goodwill and integrity.
I was reporting nationally in the run-up to the approval of the ordination of women priests. That was a bloody affair that often ran hot and became personal. Truly, I never thought I would see this day, when a woman was installed as Archbishop of Canterbury.
So, on my walk I took a break from fretting over the existential crises of climate change, unnecessary war, economic jeopardy and the threat to hopes and dreams, and celebrated.