Read the rest of my Corona Lockdown diaries here. This post contains affiliate and commercial links.
It’s Tuesday today.
Yesterday evening, the UK was put on a loose lockdown.
I say lockdown; although the word itself wasn’t used, it was made very clear to British public that they should stay at home wherever possible to stop the spread of Coronavirus.
With the exception of food shopping, essential travel to work, and once a day for exercise we were instructed not to leave the house. To STAY HOME.
Non-essential shops were shut, although the likes of Sports Direct and WH Smiths resisted this, claiming that what people need during a pandemic are cheap trainers and expensive bottles of water. (Shame on them; no one is going to forget the retailers that put profit over people).
As a family, we have been following this advice anyway as much as possible for the last week, and since the schools shut on Friday I have only left the house to walk the dog, observing the 2m rule at all times.
It has been a huge source of anger – impotent rage – that others just don’t seem to care.
Groups of teenagers gathering in the park, people having picnics with friends and family. It’s mind-boggling. We have one opportunity to stop this pandemic from overwhelming our health services and people just don’t care.
Yesterday, my husband had to go to the local pharmacy to collect a prescription for our daughter. Despite having the floor clearly marked where people should stand, several quite elderly men were absolutely ignoring it.
The small Co-Op next door, which has ridiculously small aisles you can’t even get a buggy down, was rammed. Couples were hanging about and chatting, face to face, seemingly not giving a fuck that they had been told not to.
It’s dangerous, entirely irresponsible behaviour.
I reported this tweet yesterday. Fortunately within an hour, the profile was gone, but not before receiving several hundred likes and retweets.
Whether they’re stupid, or ignorant, or they just really like the idea of contracting a virus which will probably lead to them and/or their loved ones dying in pain and alone on the floor of an overwhelmed hospital, it shows that the British public just cannot be trusted to do what they’re asked, and unfortunately it absolutely time (some might argue, too late) for tougher measures.
As much as I can understand that this level of lockdown MUST occur to protect the population; my loved ones, and everyone else’s, it doesn’t mean I am not sad about normal stuff.
These are horrible times of uncertainty for everyone.
I currently swing through being all Blitz-Spirit ‘Keep Calm And Carry On’ and being in a pit of despair and depression at least 12 times a day (If you need help with depression, consider talking with a therapist at BetterHelp).
I have cried, every day.
Sometimes it’s about the overwhelming big stuff, but more often about totally selfish, inconsequential-in-the-scheme-of-things stuff.
About missing my nephew’s first birthday and not being able to drop his present round, about cancelling my daughter’s first dance show. Not being able to go swimming or to the gym, not seeing my mum on mother’s day. Missing my Grandad’s 100th birthday, a visit to Peppa Pig World, a trip to the zoo. Not being able to nip to the shops to get fruit. About my husband losing his job, and my work drying up, and the real possibility of not being able to pay the bills.
And I want people to know that IT IS OK TO BE UPSET ABOUT NORMAL STUFF.
Yes, we are all in the same boat (albeit a Coronavirus-riddled one). Yes, we must all remember how lucky we are to have our health and key workers on the front line who are putting their own lives at risk to fight this for us.
We must put brave faces on for our children. This is our new normal now, we must make the best of it for them. And not worry too much; likely they will adapt a lot better than we will.
But pretending that it’s OK that everything is cancelled… You can’t wear that mask all the time, it will utterly exhaust you.
By all means, throw yourself into projects, into Joe Wicks workouts, into homeschooling, into helping the community. Positive action is great at helping you pick yourself up.
But if your kids are yelling, your partner is pissing you off, you miss seeing your mum, you lost your job, you’re worrying about bills, you can’t book and online shop or your holiday was cancelled IT IS OK TO BE SAD ABOUT THAT. It is not OK to be a total dick about it, but it’s OK to be sad.
It doesn’t make you selfish, it makes you normal. If you’re not sad, ever, to be honest I don’t think you understand it properly.
(Lord, when they teach this in history, I hope they don’t think we were all perpetually thick and selfish; it isn’t looking good though).