Coronavirus or COVID19 has brought some strange, interesting and challenging times to all of us on this planet. Each country is trying to understand the virus, the data on how it spreads and then adapt that to their own resources and cultural needs.
As individuals in a developed country we are trying to get our heads around how this can happen and the sudden changes to our daily lives. Growing up in the 1970s I have only really been affected by the three day week and subsequent power cuts in 1974. But even then this was something of a treat – we were allowed to have candles when there wasn’t a birthday in the house!
It may have felt to some that the terrorist incidents that we have seen over the last decade have to some extent restricted out plans and made us more wary of those around us. Covid19 has on many levels pulled us apart as a society but also brought us closer together.
There are still those who don’t appear to heed or understand the warnings and why they are in place. We have all come across those in supermarkets, or on our daily walks, who don’t appear to give a damn about social distancing. My Twitter feed is full of reports from various Police forces about the numbers of people they have had to send home who have driven for hours to visit the seaside or favourite places.
My neighbour’s young children are finding it very hard to adapt to home schooling and not being able to see their friends. My neighbours themselves are finding this hard to cope with.
The silence is another thing we are not used to. I live close to an airport and the lack of sounds of planes, trains and associated traffic is astounding. In the evening our road is eerily quiet. A bank holiday weekend without the sound of bikers rushing to the coast has been very strange. But I have also welcomed it. The clearness of the skies and the increased sound of birdsong has been uplifting for me.
My social media feeds, WhasApp Groups and texts are all full of messages wanting to know how we are coping. Actually I am kind of enjoying this. As an introvert I have always loved working from home. I get more done as I can concentrate more. I don’t get worried by the fact I haven’t stopped what I am doing to join in the office chit chat. I have more control over having a quiet lunchtime without interruptions. I realised that at one point I didn’t leave the house for four days. The only other person I spoke to face to face was my partner. I enjoyed catching up with colleagues and business contacts over Zoom calls. We even had a family pub quiz using HouseParty which was great fun. I now have regular coffee mornings with friends and am planning a girls night in!
I am lucky in that I have a small garden to escape to, and I have enjoyed having an afternoon break sitting in the garden just listening and watching the wildlife around me. If I lived in a flat I don’t know if I would be coping as well. I’d probably be having a lot of afternoon naps! After my four days in the house my partner and I did start going for a daily walk and have discovered a lot about the area we live in – the wildlife, useful cut throughs and some history of where we live.
My biggest fear now is how I will cope when lockdown is lifted and I need to go back to the office. I’m not sure how long it will are me to adjust to the background noise of an office.
How are you finding life under Covid19?
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