Dear Yuri,
As a eucalyptus tree stirs and a palm tree’s laminated fingers twist in the breeze, I deeply appreciate the beauty of our island – Lockdown in your ‘happy place’ certainly isn’t so bad.
A fierce extrovert, when anticipating lockdown, I was apprehensive but have learned to be surprisingly content so far ….in Spanish ‘contento/a’ loosely means ‘happy’ – this resonates with me.
Eating & dancing with friends, hikes, woodland yoga & lunch on the beach have been replaced with FaceTime, Zoom yoga & quizzes. Not magical, but still real human connection, and with location rendered irrelevant, we’re connecting with friends from further afield.
We applause the health workers from our balconies every evening whilst another family blares out reggaeton. Initially the music seemed naff, until the evening when an eerie silence fell when they decided not to entertain us. Often feeling a rush of emotion, at this time I contemplate the terrifying end of many lives, followed by worry for the elderly or immunocompromised in my life.
Guilt also sets in as my daughter watches my increasing screen time due to work. To meander into town as she nods off & I have a (proper) coffee is a daily routine I miss & deeply yearn for. My husband has been a champion father (& chef!) & though this is an intense time, I wouldn’t want to be on lockdown with anybody else. Where would we be without his sharp sense of humour or extreme optimism?
Whilst I loved many aspects of our lives before, lockdown has led me to appreciate much more about home – what we have on this side of the window is special & I’m deeply grateful for it. By abandoning the 9-5 we have replaced our stresses with alternatives, but, with every day of lockdown I feel increasingly grateful for every choice.
Whilst I am absolutely looking forward to ‘freedom’ I am now more free & ‘contenta’ at home than I have been in a lifetime