Covid 19

I'm guessing that, at the moment, I'm not the only one for whom Covid 19, or coronavirus, is never far from their thoughts. At the start of last year if you had said to me that by March, the whole country, indeed most of the world, would be in lockdown, I'd have written you off as a lunatic. But I would've been very wrong. I remember watching the events unfold in China and being appalled at the measures the government were putting in place to try to contain the spread. But never in a million years did I imagine that, barely two months later, we'd be living through the same nightmare ourselves.

There have been times in my life, due to my Lupus, when I've been in my own personal lockdown. I've spent weeks and even months, either at home or in hospital, due to illness. But at least during that time the rest of my family and friends were able to socialise, go on holiday and even just work. These were all just things that we took for granted, and even from my hospital bed, I could dream of what I would do, or where I would go, when I recovered. There were a couple of occasions when the prospect of me recovering wasn't always certain. But then again, I knew that life would go on for everyone else.

Unless there's some sort of miracle, life as we knew it is going to be is going to be very different for a long time to come. We might have to find new ways to socialise and even work. Travel is going to be an interesting one to work out. I'm an avid cruise fan, but I think it's going to be quite a while before I'll feel safe going on a cruise again.

But for the moment, my main concern is that many, if not of all my friends and family, survive this terrible disease. Far too many people have lost their lives already, or are struggling with bereavement or the effects of long covid. This virus is causing problems, financially, emotionally and mentally, for many people, that will continue for many years to come. 

Of course it's not all been bad news. This pandemic has shown both the worst and the best of human nature. We'll never forget the key workers who worked tirelessly to nurse the sick, keep us fed and delivered our necessities. There are countless tales of local heroes, who've really stepped up to serve their communities, in so many different and imaginative ways, and who will ever forget Captain Tom, who at the grand old age of 99 years-old, captured the heart of the nation and raised millions for the NHS. 

I'm sure I'm not alone in admitting that I've struggled, both emotionally and mentally, throughout this time, and I've been one of the lucky ones. I had my daily trips to feed the cats at Cogges to add a sense of normality to the situation, and I've really come to appreciate the simple pleasure of a walk with a friend, and honed my skill of recording myself for the virtual choir videos.

It's not over yet, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to hold on a bit longer, washing our hands, wearing our masks and keeping our social distance. 

Together we've got this.