Making the most of the crisis
What do you miss most about the current lockdown, which seems likely to continue for another few weeks at least?
I miss lots of things, especially bringing the boy to see his grandparents, but one thing I was missing less than I had expected was sport.
I love watching, playing and reading about sport so I thought the shutdown would really hurt. I didn’t read much articles about sport for most of the last two months as I have no interest in reading speculative articles about when one sport or another might return when we really have no idea.
Sporting bodies setting dates as to when they will resume is probably necessary for planning but it means very little as governments will decide when they re-start, and sport is far from a priority right now.
One of the positives of this absence is that I now have a lot more free time, quite a bit of which is spent playing with my son. Ironically his football skills have improved hugely since organised sport was banned!
The lack of sport, in particular, combined with the lockdown has given me time to do other things.
I’m looking forward to continuing to spend time playing with my son in the garden, which has never looked better. It’s very much a work in progress still, but it’s starting to green up and lose its concrete feel.
The house is in better shape with some longstanding issues fixed while my better half is re-painting one of the bedrooms while the boy minds me!
The weather means I haven’t seen this much sun in a long, long time. Our office has no windows for editorial so daylight remains a luxury!
We’ve gone for walks most days, which has been lovely, and I’ve discovered just how little I actually remember of nature lessons in primary school! It’s been great to walk in rural lanes again though and watch nature spring back to life.
It’s also been great doing nothing together. It’s been especially good for the boy, who has begun to get better at doing his own thing and creating fun for himself.
Ironically, we are also seeing family more than usual, through WhatsApp and Zoom calls.
We are all getting frustrated with the lockdown, which is set to continue for at least another two weeks it seems. The Government are expected to announce further measures over the next few days ahead of 5 May, which is when the previous batch of restrictions are to last until.
It’s easy to be annoyed that the measures - which are ultimately designed to save lives - affect how we live.
I heard Helena Murray, mother of terminally ill eight year old boy Jamie talk on radio yesterday about how the lockdown has had the benefit of allowing her family, especially her other children, more time to spend with Jamie.
Two months ago the Fermoy family were told that their son had a week to live and they are cocooning with him and trying to enjoy their remaining family time together. That really puts our petty wants in perspective.
They have a nurse who works only with Jamie a few times a week but they need PPE equipment. They are fundraising at https://ie.gofundme.com/f/jamie-murray-appeal-medical-therapy.
In the meantime, stay safe, stay patient and stay at home and enjoy the extra time with your family!