The Strangest Days
As I type, we are a week into ‘total lockdown’ due to Coronavirus - even writing that seems completely surreal and I haven’t got my head around the fundamental change to life that is taking place around the world. Everything is closed, people can’t go outside and there are no parties, weddings, gatherings, hugs or meetings happening anywhere, outside of people’s homes. It is beyond strange, but to be honest, this has been my reality for the last year of maternity leave and day to day it really doesn’t feel that different to me (minus the daily coffee with friends and baby play dates).
It’s the strange atmosphere that reminds me of what is going on. We are allowed out for exercise once a day (challenging with an energetic 1 year old) and the streets, beaches and coast paths are deserted. The air is eerily quiet, apart from the sound of birds and the sea - and that is really special. In the evenings there is a particular quiet stillness, it’s calming rather than eerie.
However, there are highs and lows to confinement, a lack of personal space being my primary concern. Fortunately, this week has been beautifully clear skied and sunny, but this is a cruel, cruel trick. As we emerge from a particularly long, wet winter - we are told we must not leave the house.
But, things move on, and this too shall pass.
For the artists and creative organisations that I support, this is an extremely challenging time - people aren’t in the mood for frivolous spending on beautiful things (people can’t go to work - I’m including this to remind me of how bizarre this time is!) - but that will return, and when it does, I predict a boom and a desperate scramble to spend money, shop and have wild parties. In the meantime, the online world is more vital than ever as people retreat even further into the internet to connect, share and explore the world they can no longer walk freely within.
But for the foreseeable, my little family and I are trying to slow down and move with this new rhythm - taking it all in and observing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nature to claim back some of the space we’ve taken up for so long.
