Hasn’t 2020 been a cracking year so far?
We began with an 80 seat majority for De Pfeffel and the knowledge that we, the disabled, ill and vulnerable, were well and truly screwed. Then came one storm after another, the country virtually sinking and many homes uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. I caught a nasty flu which I’ve still not wholly recovered from and from China came news of a new coronavirus, thought to have originated in bats, and now going through the human population of Wuhan province like a dose of proverbial salts.
Well, we thought, they had SARS before and we were fine. Didn’t they have MERS too? And I had swine flu and survived that so over here in the west, we’ll all be grand.
Except we’re not.
My husband has severe asthma, high blood pressure, and obstructive sleep apnoea which puts him in the high risk group. And while it’s unlikely it would see me off, if how the flu left me is any indication of how I’d handle covid-19, I would be very ill for a very long time.
We are withdrawing from society for the next few months, not that we’ll notice much difference. I’ve been out three times since Christmas and haven’t gone further than Troon. George is still going to the co op for top ups to the groceries we get delivered from Tesco. He’s being careful and we have one bottle of hand sanitiser that we keep at the door for him to use. It’s getting harder to get a delivery slot from Tesco now so we will have to see how that all pans out.
I think one of the worst aspects of coronavirus is that we have absolutely no control over our lives now. We don’t know when we’ll get it, IF we get it, how ill it will make us, when we can see elderly relatives again, when we can get the routine hip replacement op we’ve been waiting for… Uncertainty about the future can cripple us here in the present. I don’t pretend to know what will help you, if anything, but I can tell you what helps me.
I need to do something. During the election I did a little campaigning from my armchair and even though I didn’t get the result I wanted, I felt that at least I tried. And we can all do something to help with the coronavirus too. We can stay away from other people to try to slow down transmission of the virus. We can wash our hands and wipe down door handles etc, try to eat well, stay hydrated and get enough sleep. Easier said than done when you’re stressed to the eyeballs, I know.
Our village is great. There is a small group of us who are volunteering to help those who can’t get out themselves. I can’t leave the house but I will be collating the data of those who need help and helping to make sure those with needs are paired with those who can help. It’s not much but its what I can do and that’s what’s important.
Personally, I am keeping busy making things. I find sewing very meditative and lose myself to the rhythm of the needle and cotton. There are some games I play on my iPad. They are silly but fun and I enjoy them. I read. I write when I can. I watch films and chat with my daughter via messenger. I listen to the birds.
I don’t believe in god or a higher power. You may and it may bring you peace. I believe we are all connected and what hurts one of us hurts us all. The converse is that what helps one must help us all too. I try to remind myself of that. And I like to remind myself that eventually, this too will pass.
Stay healthy, stay safe and if you need anyone to talk out your worries with, you know where to find me.
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