Welcome to Easter weekend, and what an unusual one! Okay, it's not that weird for us - we've never been a family that heads out for a camping weekend over Easter, or has a big family and friends get-together around a barbeque.In the past month or so the world has seen some incredible changes, thanks to this coronavirus. Here in Australia, we seem to be a little more protected - we certainly haven't seen the massive number of infections and deaths that some places are having to deal with. It probably helps that we tend to live in a more "spread out" fashion. We aren't crammed together like you see in some of those huge apartment blocks that you see elsewhere in the world. There are countries where you aren't allowed to visit ANYONE. At all. Not even allowed to leave your house without an official piece of paper explaining why you're out and where you're going to. Proper lockdowns.
For us, for now at least, it's not that harsh. We can still get out and do necessary things, although any trip deemed "non essential" could earn a fine from the police. We can still go for a walk around our neighbourhood, as long as we're keeping the required minimum of 1.5 metres from any other person. Of course there are plenty of people not doing the right thing, which is making everyone look bad (and pissing everyone else off, actually). Most of us are working together to try to "stop the spread". That's one of the terms we hear all the time now, along with "social distancing" and "self isolation". Now of course, there's also "toilet paper shortage". Who would have predicted that?
So this Easter is a "stay at home" weekend. No problem for us ... we are a family of introverts. We'd rather stay home most of the time anyway! The Caveman and I are still working, as we're both in essential jobs (another catchphrase). However, his hours have dropped dramatically and mine are just starting to do the same, as most of our clients are self isolating and not requiring as many services outside the home now. It would be a great time to clear out the house and work on any projects in the home and garden, except that going out for hardware, or to drop items off at the rubbish dump or second hand shops is considered non essential travel (and some of these are closed now anyway).
I am aware that this is a very difficult time for lots of people. Many have lost their jobs - and for anyone not already familiar with our welfare system, this will be a real eye-opener! People in abusive relationships or unhappy families are going to suffer, with everyone stressing over money and getting on each other's nerves day after day in the house together. There is still concern about whether kids should be going to school or whether we should all be tackling some form of homeschooling.
At the same time, I do get annoyed with people complaining about the little things, like the fact that they can't go camping, or that most beaches are currently closed to anyone who isn't local to that area. I think we're so lucky that we have TV, computers, smartphones and social media - it's easier than ever to get news updates, to stay entertained and also to keep in touch with friends and family members. Not to mention there's always reading, gardening, cooking and craft. Maybe I'll find more time to write?
We have a bit of a road ahead of us yet, so we might as well settle in and get as comfortable as we can. Make the most of this time with your family and maybe we'll all learn to enjoy the little things in life a bit more. In the meantime, there's Easter ... I hope you have enough toilet paper and chocolate (and good humour) to see you through!
