Well I wasn't expecting this?!
Well what happened to 2020? It started off pretty well, everything was balanced, I was balanced, life was balanced and then BAM!!! 2020 hit me in the face quite literally!! I had a bit of a health scare, my daughter caught tonsillitis in the week I had the scan that I needed to reassure myself I was ok, my mum fell down the stairs and broke her back and of course we went into lockdown with one the biggest pandemics we've faced in a 100 years!!! Goodbye to my normal and balanced life, everything that kept me balanced; work, family and friends, exercise and was taken away sort of.
This pandemic is scary and comes with a lot of uncertainty, it has closed the world down, something I thought I would never see in my lifetime. It has affected a lot of people and unfortunately ending a lot of peoples lives a lot earlier than expected, it has caused a lot hatred within people, with that being racism or people having that, 'as long as I'm alright Jack!' attitude, with everyone hoarding the essentials, seriously who needs all that toilet people?! It hasn't only affected me, I've had to watch my children have their lives taken away from them as well; their family and friends, school life, their activities and freedom taken away from them. This is scary enough for adults to deal with, so for children having their whole world turned upside down and routines taken away it's even harder for them. My daughter will leave infant school in July, she won't get her to say goodbye to her friends or to have that year 2 graduation that they have now.
Social distancing has been introduced, not allowed to be within 2m of another human being, to hug anyone that isn't in your home, the looks you get when you get too close to a person, they look scared of you like you're carrying the virus because you don't know you have it until you become ill, well that's if you do. We can't see our family and friends except other to talk to them through a phone, complete social isolation which can really have an impact on your mental health. Heck I can't go to work and I love my job, my meds make me at risk of developing complications if I were to catch Covid19, I guess working in a school makes it the perfect breeding ground. They say that us MSers are used to social distancing, well I tell you it sucks big time!! Now I guess this post reads a lot of doom and gloom, something I'm not known for, even a person as optimistic as me has been affected mentally, I've cried so many times from exhaustion both physically and mentally that at night I've had anxiety attacks and I'm not an anxious person and I'm yearning for our normal lives again.
Ok, so here's my optimism, the doom and gloom I started with has it's rainbows; my scan came back normal, I'm as healthy as I am going to be for now, my mum is ok, in a bit of pain but she's at home and is ok. Although we cannot see our friends and family, we do have the internet so we are still able to see each other, the world has realised that it's not the rich actors and actresses, footballers that we need, it's our NHS, our teachers, our firemen, our shop workers, delivery and drivers and our cleaners that we have come to rely on. They are keeping our country going, the world has come together celebrating our public services and protecting the vulnerable and I've seen so many acts of kindness within the hate and selfish acts of people flouting the social distancing rules. Unless it affects them, they will keep doing it. The munchkins have been at home, we've been learning at home, not only education but cooking, games, time in the garden, bike riding and doing things together that we have to fit in our busy lives. I do find it easier to be in a classroom but I guess there are things that cannot be learned in a classroom, although I have a new appreciation for beer o clock haha!
We're all craving our normal lives but I don't think we can all go back to normal after this, our lives as they were not normal, greed, selfishness, money and power has not mattered. kindness and the world coming together is what we have needed, local businesses, our keyworkers are what we have needed. This virus has made the whole world step back, slow down and appreciate the things that really matter in life, connection, togetherness and time. I for one will slow down when this is over, I've spent the last few years dealing with my MS, showing I can be normal and trying to keep up with everyone else that sometimes slowing down is exactly what I needed to be doing. Yes, I've overcome some huge obstacles and have managed to do things that have helped shape me into the person I am now and I'm proud of who I am but this crisis has also shown that in some ways although I don't consider myself vulnerable, I actually am. So for me, I will always have time for that one extra story, that extra hug, I will never take granted that hug needed from my family and friends, that girlie evening, being able to be around people, the freedom of work and being able to for a walk in the countryside, heck being able to just pop to a coffee shop or into a shop and buy the food we want.
If social isolation is what it takes for everyone I love to be safe and healthy and come out of this temporary crisis because it is only temporary, then sitting at home is easier than what our great grandparents had to do for war, then so be it! I think once lockdown is finished the first thing I want to do is give my family and friends a hug and then go for a much needed walk with the munchkins followed by a drink with friends, now what will you do?
This pandemic is scary and comes with a lot of uncertainty, it has closed the world down, something I thought I would never see in my lifetime. It has affected a lot of people and unfortunately ending a lot of peoples lives a lot earlier than expected, it has caused a lot hatred within people, with that being racism or people having that, 'as long as I'm alright Jack!' attitude, with everyone hoarding the essentials, seriously who needs all that toilet people?! It hasn't only affected me, I've had to watch my children have their lives taken away from them as well; their family and friends, school life, their activities and freedom taken away from them. This is scary enough for adults to deal with, so for children having their whole world turned upside down and routines taken away it's even harder for them. My daughter will leave infant school in July, she won't get her to say goodbye to her friends or to have that year 2 graduation that they have now.
Social distancing has been introduced, not allowed to be within 2m of another human being, to hug anyone that isn't in your home, the looks you get when you get too close to a person, they look scared of you like you're carrying the virus because you don't know you have it until you become ill, well that's if you do. We can't see our family and friends except other to talk to them through a phone, complete social isolation which can really have an impact on your mental health. Heck I can't go to work and I love my job, my meds make me at risk of developing complications if I were to catch Covid19, I guess working in a school makes it the perfect breeding ground. They say that us MSers are used to social distancing, well I tell you it sucks big time!! Now I guess this post reads a lot of doom and gloom, something I'm not known for, even a person as optimistic as me has been affected mentally, I've cried so many times from exhaustion both physically and mentally that at night I've had anxiety attacks and I'm not an anxious person and I'm yearning for our normal lives again.
Ok, so here's my optimism, the doom and gloom I started with has it's rainbows; my scan came back normal, I'm as healthy as I am going to be for now, my mum is ok, in a bit of pain but she's at home and is ok. Although we cannot see our friends and family, we do have the internet so we are still able to see each other, the world has realised that it's not the rich actors and actresses, footballers that we need, it's our NHS, our teachers, our firemen, our shop workers, delivery and drivers and our cleaners that we have come to rely on. They are keeping our country going, the world has come together celebrating our public services and protecting the vulnerable and I've seen so many acts of kindness within the hate and selfish acts of people flouting the social distancing rules. Unless it affects them, they will keep doing it. The munchkins have been at home, we've been learning at home, not only education but cooking, games, time in the garden, bike riding and doing things together that we have to fit in our busy lives. I do find it easier to be in a classroom but I guess there are things that cannot be learned in a classroom, although I have a new appreciation for beer o clock haha!
We're all craving our normal lives but I don't think we can all go back to normal after this, our lives as they were not normal, greed, selfishness, money and power has not mattered. kindness and the world coming together is what we have needed, local businesses, our keyworkers are what we have needed. This virus has made the whole world step back, slow down and appreciate the things that really matter in life, connection, togetherness and time. I for one will slow down when this is over, I've spent the last few years dealing with my MS, showing I can be normal and trying to keep up with everyone else that sometimes slowing down is exactly what I needed to be doing. Yes, I've overcome some huge obstacles and have managed to do things that have helped shape me into the person I am now and I'm proud of who I am but this crisis has also shown that in some ways although I don't consider myself vulnerable, I actually am. So for me, I will always have time for that one extra story, that extra hug, I will never take granted that hug needed from my family and friends, that girlie evening, being able to be around people, the freedom of work and being able to for a walk in the countryside, heck being able to just pop to a coffee shop or into a shop and buy the food we want.
If social isolation is what it takes for everyone I love to be safe and healthy and come out of this temporary crisis because it is only temporary, then sitting at home is easier than what our great grandparents had to do for war, then so be it! I think once lockdown is finished the first thing I want to do is give my family and friends a hug and then go for a much needed walk with the munchkins followed by a drink with friends, now what will you do?
'The world came together by staying apart!'
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