The New Normal...

I don't know what to write. I've been wanting to write something for ages because it's like my own free therapy when things get a bit too much, but this time I haven't known what to say. I have a handful of half finished blogs and the beginnings of various story snippets, but all of them were started before the world turned upside down, and now they all seem silly and trivial.

I had considered continuing with my Survivors Tale blog series and writing about our first week of schooling from home, as that was both hilarious and horrific in equal measure. But then I thought of all our amazing key workers who have to leave their children to keep our society running, putting themselves and their families at risk of infection, and all of a sudden my complaints of not enough "me time", and the kids ignoring the "no interrupting Daddy's conference calls by running behind him naked and shaking your bare bum at the screen" rule, seem in poor taste.

The truth is that this is not a normal situation for anyone. There is a morbid humour to be found in it, however nothing about this is actually lighthearted or fun. It's deadly serious. There will be loved ones who are lost, and those they leave behind will not be allowed to give them the proper goodbye they wish to because of our necessary social distancing measures. Babies will be brought into this world without the usual welcome and love from extended family, leaving new parents with minimal support. People going through treatment for various illnesses will have to go through procedures alone because the risk of spreading the virus needs to be limited as much as possible. The call for individuals to summon every ounce of their mental strength is one that can't be ignored if we are to get through this.

Pickles and Puds have become extremly needy and clingy, as have many of my friend's children. I understand why it's happened, their entire worlds have been compressed into a space consisting of four walls and, if they are lucky, a garden. All communications with friends and extended family have been reduced to video messages only, or perhaps a wave from across the street if you are fortunate enough to spot each other on your one daily adventure out for exercise. They cling to us because we are their constant, their steady place, and they need to know we aren't going to change as well. As the responsible adults we must keep a brave face for our little ones so they don't panic. We tell them it will not last forever, it will be over soon, everything will go back to normal before long. But the truth is we don't know. Words like "indefinitely" and "forseeable" are continuously used when describing closed businesses and new rules, which gives a sense that this is the new normal forevermore. That this will be the rest of our lives.

Of course this isn't true, everything has an end date even if we can't see it. Nothing lasts forever, not even a stubborn virus, but that feeling of not knowing when it will end and the uncertainty it brings, makes it very difficult for responsible adults to stay strong for their children. To put aside your own anxieties and fears so that you can soothe away those of your children's, is perhaps that brave parental insitinct at it's most raw. "Protect your young", it says, which makes it almost ironic that when it comes to COVID-19, it is in fact the adults who need the protection...

But there is hope. I have read stories of elderly patients who have recovered after contracting the virus. I have read posts on support groups answering calls for aid when vulnerable members of our society are not able to leave their homes to buy food. Our schools and teachers have responded incredibly at such short notice to support parents educating at home, and to care for the children of our key workers. The way local restaurants have adapted their entire business models to become takeaways so they can still support their staff, and donating surplus food to those who need it. The love and support for our NHS that was shown at 8pm on the 26th March, when all over the UK people were outside their front doors, stood on balconies, and leant out of windows to applaud and cheer in unison. During that moment we waved to neighbours we haven't seen for days or even weeks. There was connection, and it was beautiful.

When we come out of the other side of all this, and we will, I hope that this love and connection continues. That society can rebuild it's new normal with a sense of kindness at it's core, and that we can use this moment in history as a lesson to truely value what's important. We are adapting, we are changing to fit our new normal. It will take time and it won't be comfortable or easy, but we will get there because that's what humans are good at.

There is always hope. Sometimes we just need to look a little harder for it.