I’ll be honest I woke up and couldn’t be arsed this morning, I slept badly, skipped my jog and had run out of milk for breakfast. I am sat writing this on my permitted exercise time – a most pleasant solo cycle to the beach. Which seems to have done the trick.
Trying to keep positive, and concentrating on what’s good about all this (Ignoring the effect on people’s livelihoods, risk to health and all that for a minute.)
Suddenly I’m presented with the gift of time, with some caveats of course. I have a natural obligation (and wish) to look after my children. I should only travel by foot or pushbike or roller skate, unless essential. Some shops are shut and you now have to queue outside to buy pretty much anything.
But, it would appear I’m not alone in enjoying, discovering, rediscovering family time, outside time and exercise. All of a sudden when something is at a premium you seem to crave it more.
The world has got bored of tv and ironically as I’m posting this on the internet, there is only so much surfing you can do in a day and the weather is on our side.
If we consider today (as we can’t change what has gone) as day one on our fictional or metaphorical desert island; we’ve been washed up largely unscathed and we have plenty of possessions with us.
How are we going to create our new lives moving forward. A passing cargo ship might see our fire, but it could be too stormy to approach the shores, we might catch a glimpse of a plane perhaps but in all honesty no one knows how long we’ll be stranded.
So what happens first? You probably gonna go explore, then at some point decide how to fend for yourself, and make yourself a home.
The last week has shown me that social distancing just like exercise and outside time makes you crave social contact.
Never have people in shop queues been so polite, regardless of the 2 metre void between us. I’ve seen neighbours chatting, some who I didn’t even know existed and the sense of community would appear at an all time high.
That’s before we get to the positive benefits on our planet, who right now Is breathing a much needed sigh of relief after a smoggy sprint through a swamp for the past few hundred years.
Please when we get off this Island let’s not forget what it has taught us.
First published on Facebook April 3rd 2020
