I missed this spring. I missed the blossoms and the spring sun. The longer the lockdown lasted, the more comforting it became to care for houseplants, and the more captivating the textures of natural materials at home seemed. Floral patterns on panels, fresh flower sprouts, and wood-like textures on artificial surfaces — all began to draw my attention.

Quarantine had stopped the world and freed my schedule. There was time for everything — even for the once-cherished, long-forgotten school pastime of meticulously coloring squares in a graph paper notebook.

Quarantine had compressed space. Being locked inside the house contrasted with the infinity of the spring sky which I could now observe at any time.

We had become hostages, but were we taken hostage by Nature? Had we not ourselves upset the natural balance and become participants in the response of the ecosystem striving for equilibrium?