
My attention span is shrinking with age so no surprise then that I am finding the relentless news re Corona virus a tad tedious. But what is interesting, is how quickly human behaviour changes/adapts e.g it’s now “normal” to go out wearing a mask and gloves. Without wishing to downplay this horrific disease and the devastating impact it is having on many lives, there are some definite pluses.
Social Distancing
Take social distancing- this is a great thing, something I’ve been practicing for years. If the new normal means having a seat to myself on the bus/train, that can only be a good thing. The 2m rule is fine by me and now I know what 2 metres look like.
Shaking hands has always to my mind being a practice to be avoided- one can only imagine where those hands and fingers may have been just prior to said handshake. Everyone of us, at some point, has sneezed into our hands without a tissue – imagine shaking hands after that! I have witnessed on too many occasions, women who have emerged from the toilet cubicle, bypass the sink and head straight to the door and I’m informed that men are even worse. But if now, the new normal means that we need never shake another hand again what’s not to love about that? And let’s not forget what happened to poor Boris who boasted about shaking hands with those infected!
Hygiene
People have stepped up their game on the hygiene front- if there is one positive from Covid-19, this is it. I was bemused to see, at the outset of Corona, that handwash and sanitizers had sold out- what were people using before? Were folk not washing their hands pre Covid-19? Two months in and i’m still finding it difficult to get anti bacterial kitchen and bathroom wipes before they are sold out and I take this as a good sign that unlike before, people are keeping their kitchens and bathroom cleaner than ever before.
The rush to buy toilet rolls remains a curiosity but links back to the reason as to why it has always been unwise to shake hands.
Letting Yourself Go
I’m sad to say that this has become a plus. It’s quite nice not having to worry about what you look like – everyone looks dreadful. I haven’t worn make up in weeks. If you’re lucky enough to work from home, let’s be honest- there really is no reason to shower before 5pm.
My hair is a mess, my eye brows are bushy and my other bush….well let’s not go there. I am saving an embarrassing amount of money but nevertheless, I hope that this state of affairs will come to an end soon. Until then at least we can hide behind our face masks.
Catching Up With Friends
Historically i have been bad at keeping in touch, not because I don’t love and adore my friends, but after a full on day at work, I just don’t want to talk to anyone and the weekend is taken up with things I haven’t been able to fit in during the week. However lockdown has led to one long day morphing into another and boredom – suddenly it’s quite nice to hear from friends who were on the cusp of being deleted. We promise to meet up when things get back to normal but we both know that’s not happening.
Bonding with self/family
Lockdown may have enforced self isolation – spending time alone or forcing you to spend time with family. No matter how much you love your family, being forced to be in their company 24/7 must be challenging especially if space is tight. My neighbours, normally a fairly quiet family of 4, can now be heard shouting at each other most days- how are you supposed to keep 2 primary school aged kids occupied all day everyday?
Personally i’m enjoying the tranquillity, the time to think, time to plan, the quiet streets and wondering how it is that I have never before noticed the sound of birds – if only it was possible to have this pace of life without Covid-19.
Lockdown and bonding with myself has unfortunately meant eating, and then eating some more and that along with no exercise has meant a few extra pounds and lethargy. The additional glasses of wine i’m sure isn’t helping either.
On a serious note, I wish everyone well – so many have lost their jobs and may businesses will not recover -we will all now have to adapt to a new normal.
Good luck!