It’s a strange place to be
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March 2020
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We know it’s out there Covid 19 – a silent , invisible and deadly threat yet until it effects us directly it’s almost as it if doesn’t exist. A case of “It happens to other people … not us ?” We wash our hands rigorously while singing happy birthday and watch as the death rate tots up. Surreal. It feels like the whole world has been zapped up and plonked on a film set ; one where nobody knows what will happen next or really understands the script? Improvising
Everything is as before yet everything is completely different. We can see the beaches on our TVs or in pages of glossy books, but for now there’s no walking on them in bare feet . We can marvel at the wonder of nature courtesy of Blue Planet or National Geographic. We find ourselves crying over the beauty of the simple shark [ that was me last night] . There are no ice creams sat watching the village cricket team. No coffee dates. The simplest of pleasures have been taken away. Thankfully we still have our one daily dog walk. Thankfully we still have our fur baby cuddles. In fact pets are the only ones really benefiting from this weird situation.
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The majority of us ,as advised , wrap our loved ones in cotton wool, batten the hatches and observe from the safety of our own homes
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Yesterday we had a scare, a ‘brief encounter’ with the virus itself. We thought Dad might have contracted Covid 19. He has been self-isolating for the past 10 days and seemed to be getting better. When a few concerned neighbours got in touch with me, and M drove up to see dad for himself we decided we needed to seek further advice. After filling in a detailed form on the NHS website we were advised to call 111 . They in turn thought it would be a wise move to send an ambulance
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Shit.
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Thankfully for us after undertaking various tests the two paramedics didn’t think it was anything too serious. He is breathless and extremely lethargic to the point he can’t walk very far and they discovered he has a crackle on his left lung. They think this can be sorted with a round of antibiotics. He is off to see his local doctor later this morning
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I AM a tough cookie who has grown an even harder , self-protecting shell over the last few years but I felt that shell starting to crumble last night
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My coping mechanism over the past few years had been positivity and laughter. I try to see things for the better not for the worse which can [ and has in the past ] been mistaken for arrogance or an I don’t care attitude. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I visited the dark side and stayed a while when I lost my mum. It’s not somewhere I want to revisit anytime soon
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So today I am feeling extremely thankful ; As my nana used to say we should count our lucky blessings. For now our little family unit is safe and intact. We shall regroup, smile and appreciate what we have; wrap the cotton wool even tighter
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Stay safe, please stay home
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Tracey x
Gosh that must have been a real scare. I’m glad your dad is seems to be okay and hope he managed to get to the doctor. It’s such a strange time isn’t it? Something that none of us has ever experienced. I think it’s important to feel what you feel and then work out how you’re going to get past it and move on. As you say, positivity and gratitude by the bucket-load!
Thankyou for popping by and having a read. It’s a very surreal moment in time but we will get through it if we all stick together and stay at home [ if possible ]
I hope you and yours are ok, Tracey x