No travelling to your usual place of work (unless you are considered to deliver an essential service).
No on-site attendance at daycare, school or other educational institution.
No non-essential places open (cafes, bars, restaurants, malls, etc.).
No children's birthday parties.
No attendance at lessons; swimming, ballet, sports.
No meeting up with friends for a catch up.
No parks or playgrounds.
We can go out in the sunshine, whilst maintaining 2 metre physical distancing from anyone we're not home-isolating with. We can go and buy food from the grocery stores. We can go to hospital, should the need arise (let's hope not).
The rest of life - for now - is on hold while we all take a collective breath and commit to doing what we need to, to save the lives of others.
I love the perspective that this gives
I have ridden the roller-coasters of emotion that come with being told your whole world is about to change beyond all recognition: that the freedom that I took for granted is going to be taken away (to a degree), that the physical touch of others that I rely on, is no longer there to comfort me. That "just popping out to pickup...." is no longer a part of my day. I will continue to ride those emotional roller-coasters too - they don't all show up within a 24 hour period.
AND we are lucky. We are safe, we live in a developed country. We have access to warm clothes, warm houses, a plentiful supply of locally grown food, we have medical and emotional support, should we need it.
We have not seen the devastation and disruption that has occurred in other parts of the world. The worst may be yet to come to NZ but I am hopeful. If we all do the right thing we can beat this, and we can drive the change we are all longing to see.
See, this isn't about us - this is about other people. It's about imagining that we've been infected and are trying not to pass it on to someone in our community who is more vulnerable than us who will die from it. This isn't a game of chicken, this is life or death. Now is not the time for rule breaking.
So for now, we are closed to normality, but we are open to new ways of doing things. When normality returns (which it inevitably will) I hope we are all a little wiser, a little kinder, a little more grateful and a little safer in the knowledge of the things that truly matter.
We are closed, but we're open to new ways of doing things
There's a saying that is incredibly reassuring for me in times of uncertainty:
"There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be"
~ John Lennon
For me, I'll be here, at home in New Zealand. Working remotely, connecting with loved ones (at home and online) and creating precious memories. I hope you'll be doing the same, wherever in the world you may be.
Kia kaha 💗
