Life. I have said it before, you just don’t know what it’s going to throw at you. At the moment it is throwing a lot at me, my family, my friends, my community, the rest of the world. The Corona Virus, that is what it has decided to throw at us. Corona, a name once really only associated with a beer which one imbibed with a wedge of lime on a hot summer’s day. Now, an isidious virus affecting the world, reminding us that we as humans are really quite a fragile species at the mercy of what life throws at us.
Week one has finally come to an end of lock down in New Zealand. Our borders have been closed to all but citizens and permanent residents, and ‘working from home’ has become the new working norm (that is if you are lucky enough to still have work, which for some will more than likely be a thing of the past in the near future). Flour has become as rare as hens’ teeth as baking becomes the new going out. Life as we knew it a week ago has come to a screeching halt, and it is hard to imagine how it will ever get back to what it once was.
Numbers of those infected with the virus in New Zealand have reached around the 700 mark so far, with one death, may she rest in peace. We are told that this will increase but hopefully with the stringent measures in place, this will eventually plateau and fall. So we stay in, we stay local. We are lucky, we live near a beautiful surf beach and some amazing bush walks. But we cannot surf and we cannot fish. This is a big blow to the husband and kids who are either fishing or surf crazy, or both. The 10 year old is fishing mad, and along with his Dad had visions of spending their time on the boat bringing home dinner. But no, fishing is off the cards as there is too much of a risk of them needing to be rescued. Likewise, the teenagers had ideas of endless surfing, but that too could prove dangerous to those who would have to treat them if they get hurt. Fair enough they said (through gritted teeth), we won’t do that then.
So what do you do if you can’t surf, body surf, fish, or do anything that may cause you to be rescued/treated etc… Well in this household we have slowly found our rhythm of life, but it must be said that it did take a day or three. The husband found his stride on day two when he decided, “fuck it”, the hair has to go, so trusted the 14 year old daughter to shave his hair off. I had been talking to a local at the gate (a good four metres apart) when he got it into his head that he would get rid of it. By the time I had gone inside, the hair was gone, every single bit of it. The 14 year old then decided that she had a newly discovered talent as a hairdresser so proceeded to give her younger brother a new style. Hmmm, he’s happy with his bowl cut, I’m still making up my mind (maybe it’s the chunks at the back which have yet to sway me on the positives of this cut). Walking has become a once and sometimes twice daily event which isn’t too far from the norm for me. The husband is getting in the stride (excuse the pun) of it and we have done a few epic walks this past week-up hills, along beaches, through forests. I have been privileged to see Kokopu, Tomtits, Popokotea, Kaka, to name a few of our precious native birds up close. It is like these birds are reveling in the lack of human activity with the dearth of visitors to the area.
The negatives of the lockdown were apparent pretty early on though. The day that it was announced that the nation would be going into lockdown, was the day that my long overdue appointment for a cut and colour was cancelled, effective immediately. Shite. The much needed cut would have to wait, and the colour, yikes. The regrowth was pretty obvious as it was, what the heck is it going to look like when this is all over? I’m thinking I’ll need to adopt a dalmation or ten as I am going to be looking like Cruella de Vil by the end of it. But, I will get over it, and if this lockdown means we get this thing under control then so be it, what’s a bit of regrowth.
There have been many times when I have wondered how we will get through the days where it really does feel like ground hog day. The teenagers have coped remarkably well, and I guess devices and social media have been a major part in keeping them in contact with their peers, and as an extension, sane. For me, who is usually home alone during the day, I have had to adjust to having people around the place all of the time. The first couple of days were a test of my patience levels, dealing with the more than usual mess, and constant noise and activity. But now, it just seems normal, and it is easy enough for me to take myself off to the bedroom to write or read, or down to the paddock to meditate. I am missing my yoga classes though; doing yoga by myself without the guidance of my Yoga teacher just isn’t as good, but she assures me that she is planning some online classes very soon, thank God! But the main thing has been that we have spent some quality time together as a family, time which has felt so rare with the busyness of life. This has forced us to stop and renew those connections.
This whole experience, which has felt surreal at times, is only at the beginning, but it has given those of us who are not on the front-line the time to think and regroup. It has reminded us that those around us are precious and we pray that this will be over soon without too much more loss of life. I for one, feel for those who have been affected by this pandemic, for those who have lost loved ones to it. I cannot begin to understand what they are going through right now, and I hope that my loved ones manage to avoid infection. I worry for my parents, my family, my friends. This is a defining moment in history, not a particularly pleasant one, but one all the same. I hope that when it is all over and life has settled down, that we will come out of this ok. That we come out as better humans than when we went into this. I hope that we reach out to those who have lost loved ones and embrace them, remind them that we are here for them. And how much sweeter that embrace will be when it is no longer a threat to our health. Keep safe.
The Honest Woman's Guide to Growing Up. 