Lockdown: the final lexeme says it all. It is horrendous to know someone who is suffering from covid-19 - perhaps even fighting for life itself. But though we may have been spared that, daily bulletins reporting rising cases, deaths and the hardships experienced by front-line workers cannot fail to produce despondency.
From our reduced vistas, our focus is more on restrictions being imposed on us, their repercussions and our responses to them. The initial lexeme, ‘lock’ – in its plural form - is an issue for many of us ladies. It does make a difference to get out of trackies for a change, and a fresh manicure feels better. But, oh, how I long for a trip to the hairdresser and in that I know I am not alone!
In the early 90s the British Council sent me to Belgrade to inspect a state-school which was setting up an English teacher training course as part of an aid program. It was spring and the arrival of fresh greens in the market was a source of great joy for people who were slowly emerging from the deprivations caused by the Balkan Wars. When I remarked how well-groomed and chic the lady teachers were, I was told that was a survival strategy: to go about one’s life as if the horror wasn’t happening around you.
Good question, I thought, and resolved to run a straw poll among some of the members of the select group I call my Lady Buds to see what they do to try and get through this dreadful state of affairs. Though some did own to going through periods of negativity, they were happy to share their strategies, a distillation of which can be seen below.
Many friends felt privileged to be living in the country-side and for them it seemed business as usual since walking and gardening figured largely in their daily lives, weather permitting. One was relatively unaffected, as she lives in New Zealand, while a city-dweller admitted that somehow my question had saddened her a little as she realized how much she enjoyed her lockdown freedom from non-preferred social interaction obligations!
Some talked of deriving joy from spending more time with their children – others were looking forward to that. Pets were also a source of pleasure, though the lady who takes the biscuit in that category could claim to have 2 cows, 17 sheep, 4 horses, 2 ponies and 2 chickens. And, yes, her husband is a vet!
Reading, listening to music, watching videos, film clips, etc. are regular distractions. One stated that she often used the library facilities, but it is closed to the public. So the procedure is she makes a request, then does a curbside (sp.? – she lives in Santa Barbara :) ) pick-up which she feels is very-self-indulgent.
Language learning featured as did cooking, baking along with consequent weight-gain and there was even a 20-year-old cross-stitch resuscitation! Coffee, chocolate, wine and g’n’ts have all seen an increase in consumption. :o
One, interestingly, made a comparison: in Lockdown 1 she was more dynamic, planning several projects, while in Lockdown 2, her energy had dissipated.
Two responses tugged at my heart: one, England-based, said she felt lucky to be ‘trying to get through this’ , given that thousands haven’t been so lucky. The other, from Sweden, simply stated that she was suffering from covid-19 but was upbeat about it and confident she would pull through. Amen to that!
One valuable piece of advice was that we should appreciate what we have and not bother about what we don’t have. And the one common factor was how much we value communication between our family members and our closest pals.
The local radio show ended with the number made famous by Sheffield crooner, Joe Cocker: With A Little Help From My Friends. Now that’s an apposite note to end on.
Stay well, stay safe, stay in contact!
No comments:
Post a Comment