Do you find yourself gawping in wonder as birds swoop and dive effortlessly overhead. Somewhere deep in your psyche you want to be that bird speeding through the air.
The last time I flew anywhere I was herded like a cow through the airport, then squashed into an airplane seat in what appears to have been an attempt to invoke sympathy for tinned sardines! It was dehumanising. It means I can't see relatives without long overland journeys and sea crossings. Sadly, I don't have the luxury of time to do this, nor do I have the luxury of cash to avoid the airport cattle-pens and flying sardine tin. I'm resigned to my fate.
Living in London I'm acutely aware of the overhead traffic, the rumble of life and wail of distant sirens (sometimes not so distant). I can escape it though by sinking myself in the wildlife that shares this fabulous city. The dozen or so species of birds in my garden, the family of foxes, my garden toad and the countless other creatures that bring life to the space, help me unwind and reflect on my busy, busy life running from A to B.
It's a leap year so we have a 29 February. It's a normal working day but I will be at One Life Live at Olympia, sharing this deep seated belief in nature's healing power with anyone who steps within my aura. Volunteering is a positive way of helping our conservation work and believe me, wildlife is the best, and probably cheapest, de-stresser a person could want. Take yourself off to a nearby park, nature reserve or any outdoor space with trees, shrubs and water and give yourself permission to stand and stare. You'll feel the woes and worries slipping from your shoulders.
I had to take myself out to our Rainham Marsh reserve to do just this after hearing of the latest London Mayoral Election wheeze from Boris Johnson. All of the candidates seem to have taken a stance on airport expansion but Boris wants a new airport, in the Thames Estuary. This watery motorway carries a wealth of wildlife into the heart of the UK. More than 200,000 birds use the area in winter alone. The estuary, including the RSPB’s famous Cliffe Pools reserve, is of huge international importance for wildlife and is protected by both European and UK law.
Would we really want the most destructive development ever undertaken in the UK to sit downstream from London? No! Demand for air travel must be constrained. The sector makes a disproportionate contribution to climate change and should be included in targets for cutting emissions. Boris Johnson should think again.
The closest I come in my daily life to that image in my mind of the bird performing aerial acrobatics is feeling the wind ruffle my thinning hair as I cycle through the streets of London.. Sometimes spotting Boris on his bike on the Liverpool Road. Be free Mr Johnson and live like a bird; stop all this flapping around.