I’ve always felt like a citizen of the world, now more than ever with the growing threat of coronavirus. In these strange times it’s not quite business as usual.
During lockdown, I am grateful that the weather is being kind, and feel lucky that we live where we do, just a stone’s throw away from the river Exe. Remembering all the things I am grateful for, a walk to the river is a regular feature of each day.
In many ways it seems we have entered a world of contrasts. Each morning Kate heads off to the hospital to work, accompanied by the uncertainty of what she is about to enter. As a nurse she is seeing some unprecedented times. Each night when she returns home there is an odd routine of thorough handwashing, after dumping her work gear before coming inside. As she shares thoughts about her day, I think about the ICU department at the centre of the chaos, and the wonderful staff who looked after me last year. I hope they are all keeping safe.
Here in the UK many nurses are at work with inadequate personal protective equipment, this after years of crippling cuts to the NHS. Yet last week, among offers of free bunches of flowers abound, the nation stepped out onto the streets with a huge round of applause for their beloved NHS. It was heartening to see and hear. I do hope this sentiment is remembered at election time. In the supermarkets, shelves have been empty as people scramble to fill their houses with as much as they can, leaving little for others who are often the most vulnerable. At the same time, the local foodbank has received the highest level of donations ever. Contrasts…
And through it all we are told quite simply to wash our hands. Then I think of all the places where people live with no running water, where there is poverty and overcrowding, and I hope, I hope, they are closing their borders to a fast-paced world busy with travel and a spreading virus. I keep thinking of the time I spent with my South African friend, at her home in Bizana in the Transkei. She was going to fetch water and I said I would help. I have never felt so inadequate in all my life. After filling two huge plastic containers with river water, she lifted one up and balanced it perfectly on top of her head. I watched her slight frame climb the hill, poised, as she set off for the walk home. Needless to say, after heaving and dragging my own supply halfway up, she had already made it home and come back to help, amused to see over half the contents of my container sloshing back down the track. Thinking about those communities already threatened with cholera and bilharzia, I hope, I hope they are protecting their borders.
Amidst the uncertainty there is a need to let go of the things you cannot control, and focus on the things you can. I stick to my routine, of which writing is a regular feature, where for the edits at least there is business as usual. For work breaks there’s a breath of fresh air in the garden where the mini rhododendron has started flowering, or for company there’s Mia, easily found in her favourite spot. I think she has been practising for self-isolation her entire life.
Whether you are affected by the outbreak or not, whether it is business as usual or coping with lockdown and self-isolation, I hope you are finding ways to stay connected to the people in your lives. I hope you are safe and well.
2 comments for “Staying Connected”