We Can't, We Might, We Will……SOON !
Who would have guessed that our world would change so much…It seems like eons ago that we heard of a possible threat to our daily lives..
There was a virus released/escaped from a country far away.. deadly, but not near us. Little did we know that we would all very soon be well aware of COVID 19... Our daily reality became a nightmare, as we heard of the spread of the virus in Europe, the UK , USA.. everywhere… and before we could absorb all that, it was here, on our very own doorstep. We’re so used to the great medical care that we take for granted, that we perhaps thought it would all disappear.. not so.
Lockdowns, restrictions, masks.. vaccines.. please at least two, maybe a booster later. Sign in, QR Codes, maybe gloves ..especially at petrol stations…sanitisers everywhere.
Wash your hands, again and again…no gathering, no shopping for other than essentials. Sorry, you can’t visit Mum and Dad, nor the grandchildren , nor friends .. Loneliness overtakes some, others are content to slow down.. at least for awhile.
We put off regular appointments, wary of mixing with others. No visitors, no family catchups..deliveries outside the door. We miss so many milestones, weddings and even funerals have limited attendance..
We get daily updates of the number of those who have contracted the virus..and sadly, the number of those who have succumbed. Our leaders sometimes gloat, sometimes send out dire warnings.. it seems they have their turn at both.
There are “deny..ers”, those who believe in some strange non acceptance of the risk they take, or cause..by defying lockdowns, holding protests with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of others.. Do they not feel the pain of those who have lost loved ones?
Have they never sat beside a crying child when they have just been told that their Mummy, Daddy or grandparent has left them? Have they not comforted a newly wed who has had to farewell their partner after they caught the virus while nursing someone else’s loved one?
So much sadness, but also so much hope.. as new vaccines become available, more people are vaccinated. We will learn to live beside this virus, if not with it. Surely, we will also have learnt that every life matters, that we can work together and that the human spirit and the determination to make the most of whatever our situation is, is far stronger than the despair that some try to coat our days with. So many lessons learnt, so many more to come. We perhaps eat more at home, all the family together..
Some are busier than ever, others have enjoyed ‘smelling the roses’.. and one thing I have noticed is that most are kind to each other. We say Hello, check on neighbours, family and friends.. offer to do some shopping for those who can’t do their own. It only takes a few moments to reach out.
It will pass, as the trials of other diseases and disasters have. We will get through this as we support and help each other . We open our hearts and extend our hands.. sanitised of course!
© Crissouli Aug 2021
