Tag Archives: lockdown

Lessons in Lockdown 2

During the first lockdown, I began to re-evaluate life. In this second lockdown, I am starting to try things out. Let’s explore this further.

So, one of the things I have learnt most about is that people are in desperate situations in huge numbers. Living in fear of a virus, lonely, cut off, isolated, in poverty. Indeed I would say that exuberantly happy people in the UK are in the minority at the present time.

So where does this leave us? I would argue that it leaves us gasping for hope in this pandemic. And what I would suggest is that hope and kindness are inextricably linked. By seeking to give to others, we help keep hope alive in our hearts and the lives of other people.

One small action has a ripple effect. I have seen old people doing walks on their zimmer frames, young children who have lost limbs raising money for others and countless other wonderful things, I have been heartened by the desire to hope and help that is flourishing at this time.

Today’s recipe of hope is to watch an inspiring act of kindness that you know about, on your screen. Then take some time to reflect on it and think about acts of kindness you have been shown. You may feel inspired to do something wonderful today. X

Lessons learned in lockdown

Hope is in many senses about growth. If we are human then we will age and we will also hopefully learn and grow in wisdom as we get older. We can learn from our mistakes and then we can embrace new patterns of behaviour and thinking.

I want to share with you some of the important lessons I have learnt in lockdown which may help anyone who is struggling. Although lockdown has eased, we are still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and that must always be borne in mind.

  1. Material possessions are unimportant. I always placed value on my possessions, however I now value health and family way above these things. Possessions can be replaced, whereas people cannot.
  2. Don’t sweat the small stuff. I think things may not be as important as we sometimes feel they are. For example, hoovering can wait a day, clothes shopping isn’t essential, ironing can wait too.
  3. People value conversation. At this point in time I believe we as humans need to support one another more than ever. We are in this together.
  4. Life is precious. I am researching the virus, so I know how it spreads and how to keep myself as safe as possible (in my opinion wearing a mask, avoiding unnecessary trips, avoiding the beach, meeting outside preferably in a garden as much as possible and plenty of hand washing).
  5. Find activities that can be done at home. It is possible we may have a further lockdown if the R rate increases. I am training myself to enjoy being home more. I like writing (check out Reedsy Prompts), blogging and gardening.

Today’s recipe of hope is to create a lockdown safety plan. This can be done with your family. My family regularly discuss how to keep ourselves safe and we do not take unnecessary risks. We have government guidelines, but at the end of the day I think it is important we try to keep ourselves and other humans safe as much as possible.

Keep safe everyone X

Suddenly

Suddenly those who have been shielding in the UK for the past two months are allowed to leave their houses from tomorrow. Suddenly the eighteen year plans for a space taxi run by a private company in the USA are realised. Suddenly things change.

We have been locked down in the UK for ten weeks and now we are being allowed more freedom. Shops are opening up, people shielding can again pick up their lives to a certain extent.

And suddenly life is back to normal? But it isn’t. And in my view it never will be. Because in this pandemic over 37,000 UK citizens have lost the fight against the virus. And I personally feel extremely sober and sad about that horrendously high figure.

There is hope that one day our ‘suddenly’ will come along. Suddenly will change things. Suddenly things that have been stagnant will start to shift, suddenly a dream will be realised, suddenly we will meet that special someone.

However I think we need to counterbalance the suddenly with the everyday. The mundane. Hope is in both. Hope is in the everyday plodding, the routine, the washing up, preparing meals, doing the washing and so forth. And hope is in the excitement of something becoming different. Hope is in the today and the tomorrow. Hope carries us forwards.

During this lockdown experience I have learnt many lessons. I have learnt about kindness, compassion and care. I have received these gifts. I have learnt about the power of social media and how to use this. I am appreciating my contact with friends and family in a far richer and more meaningful way. And the biggest lesson of all is to be kind to myself, to show myself self-compassion.

When the suddenly doesn’t show up it actually doesn’t matter. When things remain the same, hope can still live on. I saw on the news today about rioting in America over the tragic death of a black man at the hands of a policeman. Suddenly everyone’s anger is ignited at injustice. Suddenly can be a tipping point as well as a wonderful surprise slicing through our day.

Today’s recipe of hope is to consider the ‘suddenly’ of life. If you are stuck in a rut, then consider how to reach for that ‘suddenly’. If you are preparing for a ‘suddenly’; going out again after shielding then it is worth mentally preparing for that too. If you are preparing for a day such as a wedding, enjoy the journey, as much as the destination.

I wish you all, peace and joy, whatever your circumstances X