Lock Down

At the start of this year I looked ahead with hope to what 2020 had in store. I never imagined that just round the corner the coronavirus lurked and it would have such a profound impact on all of our lives. 

If you are like me it probably has not been easy to come to terms with a different way of life. 

Some of the things I have struggled with the most have been not being able to meet with family and friends, having to adjust the way I work and staying predominately at home. I know I am fortunate enough to have a family, work and a home. 

Many people have had to face tremendous adversity losing loved ones, having financial fears due to loss of employment or being prisoners in their own home as a result of ill health to name but a few. 

In these strange times with so much confusion and uncertainty about the future I think we need to reach out to others. 

Social isolation is the loneliest of places. 

It may be you live alone and don’t see anyone from one day to the next. You may be in an unhappy relationship or family where despite having people close by physically you know a loneliness that you never expected to feel. 

Reaching out may mean saying hello to a stranger, it could be offering help to a neighbour or perhaps volunteering for a worthwhile cause. 

Meaningful human interaction is essential for our mental and emotional wellbeing. 

As difficult as the implications of the coronavirus are, showing care and compassion to another person can not only be good for them it can be valuable for us. 

I have lived in my home for just over a year and had limited contact with my neighbours. However, since the coronavirus we now meet up for ‘2 metres at 2pm on a Sunday’, we have got to know one another, we have a WhatsApp group, shop for one another, and have socially distanced VE days street gatherings and had a birthday party. 

In the midst of these difficult times perhaps our hope can be in neighbourhoods and communities that come together rather than remaining anonymous and remote.