Somebody!
Pinch me quick!
Because I seriously need to wake up from this interminable nightmare!
Who would have thought that eight months after the tentative first flight into pandemic paranoia, we’d be plunged back into lockdown?!
And, yet, here we are – incredulous, despairing, frustrated – wondering when, or, indeed, if, we can finally kiss goodbye to the whole sorry saga.
All in all, 2020 has been a total loss….
We’ve had the pre-pandemic build-up, lockdown 1.0, a summertime bailout (albeit with heavy restrictions – mask-wearing, social distancing, queuing…) and now what can only feel like Groundhog Day…
Lockdown 2.0.
A cutesy term that, for a minute, might conjure up images of shiny new tech…
Until…
We remember how it was last time! 😨
Consequently, we vow that, if nothing else, this time will be different because…
Lessons have been learned! 😏
1. OCD is Over
Hands up!
I’m guilty!
When news of ‘the virus’ first leaked out into the mainstream, I was terrified.
It was the stuff of childhood nightmares!
The Black Death reimagined, if you will. 😱
(To corroborate this, check out some of my earlier blog posts, such as: 10 Family Must-Buys in the wake of the Coronavirus Crisis, How to Stay Calm in a Crisis or How to Survive Self-Isolation – 3 Top Tips.)
But, gradually, it became apparent that the vast majority of people recovered from the virus, while some had symptoms so mild that they needed a laboratory test to confirm they had it.
In the meantime, as my earlier blog post, 5 Surprising Things Lockdown Taught Me, revealed, it became difficult – even for a confirmed OCD prone, health anxiety sufferer like myself – to not grow weary of the constant germ awareness being promoted all around us.
In a nutshell, it boiled down to living life to the fullest or living to avoid death – an understandable yet untenable concept in the grand scheme of things.
So (big breath), all things considered, I will not be crouching underneath my duvet shaking in fear of the ‘fever’ this time around…
Which should free up some valuable time to fill with more noble endeavours. 😉
2. Gullible is Gone
In much the same vein, this time around, I will be less likely to pour over the doomsday headlines and launch myself, head first, into the pit of despair.
The only thing that might have the potential to fill me with terror is the thought that four weeks could be turned into four months, just as, before, a three week ‘to flatten the curve’ lockdown morphed into four months with a quick flick of the politicians’ stick! 🤬
Excuse my… er… French! 😬
3. The School Run is Safe
Aside from my beloved Primark being closed (no, I am not embarrassed to admit that!🤨), the absolute worst thing about Lockdown 2.0 is that the schools are still open!
Boo!
As my regular readers will know by now, I hate the school run, with a passion…
And especially now that I have to drag a petulant toddler into school, kicking and screaming (I kid you not!), as opposed to just around school, kicking and screaming (again, I kid you not!). 😐
Homeschool is definitely preferable to that!
And no post-drop off Primark/coffee shop trip to soothe those frazzled nerves!
Torture! 😭
4. TikTok is Out
Confession time again!
Last time, I fell headlong into the TikTok craze!
(Find out more about my TikTok phase in How to Escape the Lockdown Lows.)
It looked cute, it was distracting and everybody seemed to be doing it.
FOMO and a hyper competitive streak clouded my judgement (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!), so, I gleefully signed up.
But, honestly, the camera did not love me (my teen is delighted to confirm this!). I struggled to dance with two left feet and those second-long videos take countless hours, which I didn’t have, to produce.
All in all, it was an epic film fail.
And one that I won’t be repeating during Lockdown 2.0…
If only to stop the smug teen sneers…
Oh, well!
We’re never too old to live and learn! 🙄
5. Freedom is In
”Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin
In the early stages of the current crisis, I was perfectly happy to hide away under the stairs until the metaphorical storm had passed.
In hindsight, I was foolish!
The hard-won freedoms our ancestors so bravely struggled to defend have now all but been handed over, on a silver platter, to governing bodies, many of whom we never chose to elect.
Tragically, we are now living under constantly changing conditions and draconian restrictions…
Freedoms, once taken for granted, like venturing out maskless, unrestricted travel, eating out, attending large social gatherings and visiting friends and family, are no more, at least for the foreseeable future…
Forget flying cars, we are facing a future which is rapidly taking on an ugly, grey, dystopian shape…
All of a sudden, that space under the stairs is looking very inviting again!
Fear fighting, much like TikTok, is not one of my strong points…
But, unlike TikTok, it is not something to be abandoned at the first sign of a hurdle!
Too much is riding on it!
Stay strong, my dear readers!
Until next time,
💋 Mostly Mum
*Gifs are via Tenor and GIPHY
Great points and fun reading. We have to learn as we go and do the best we can during these crazy pandemic times! Staying positive and finding some fun is important too:)
Exactly! So glad you liked it, Scarlet! ☺️💕