At the end of the first week of lockdown we discovered the unexpected gift of Covid – discovery itself. In this short series, I get even more personal as I share journal entries from my first days of lockdown in the U.K. and the changes it brought. These are my #CovidDiaries.
March 29, 2020
Day Seven. Sunday. Filing my taxes has been haunting me so I asked him for help. It brings me anxiety and panic and confusion – making sure I’m getting this right in two places and he doesn’t understand how I feel. I slept until 9:30am or later so I made a very late breakfast of beans, franks and eggs. Then I retreated to my bedroom, made the kids listen to Deepak Chopra’s meditation on Hope in Uncertain Times and then promptly fell asleep and couldn’t get up until 4pm. Aris helped me to cook today and after dinner we all went for a walk through Barnes Common. I had never walked that route before and I was amazed at the extent of the greenery and the wonderful paths that are available for us to explore. We are so blessed to live where we do.
Tonight, when Lauren prayed, she gave thanks that ‘Mom was able to make breakfast for us, that we had walks together, that we played together inside and outside.’
All this time in this magnificent city I focused on maximizing every moment. Taking them to museums and to shows, to see the sights and to go exploring. But they needed this too – to slow down and just spend time together as a family. We don’t have to spend money, no new gadgets required. They’ve been happy and relaxed. We cook together, we play together, and we pray together. I’m no longer a spring chicken and I know that the virus is on their minds. When I leave to go to Tesco, Aris tells me “Mom, don’t let Corona catch you”, and he’s said to me that if I get it, I must fight. There’s so much to fight for. My life is full, and the best is yet to come.
We will live to tell the story of this strange time when we resisted the darkness and rediscovered the light.
Thanks for stopping by. How did you deal with the early days of lockdown? Share your comments. Remember to hit ‘like’ and subscribe. I post new content each week.
© Arlene Amitirigala 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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