Rachel and I have been talking about the things we have been learning from our Lockdown lessons. These are fascinating conversations and I’m sure these must be happening up and down the country and across the world. We are also wondering what we would do differently in the future. Apologies, this is a longer-than-usual post.
Yep, further Lockdowns in the future? If the Spanish epidemic which took 50,000,000 a century ago is anything to go by, we should be prepared for a second or third wave of the virus.
As for the “Spanish” flu epidemic, it wasn’t really Spanish at all, according to the BBC Sounds series called Pandemic. Like Germany, the UK didn’t want to talk too much about the horrific influenza of 1918-19 as we were at war and admitting to the full extent of people dying would have been negative propaganda. Spain was a neutral country and freely reported the epidemic in it’s own press, so it was labelled Spanish as a way of the UK and Germany deflecting attention. History lesson over and back to our Lockdown Lessons.
So here’s our thinking for now:
1. Food
Although we have always had reasonable food stocks in our house, we could do better. So we are wondering whether we should plan to fill the pink and fluffy garage with more food. This will help us to have less contact with the outside world or depend on erratic supplies.
If we get our act together, we can continue buying flour by the sack load, rather than little packets. The same could apply to many other commodities.
We have also liked having food delivered from the local market, although sometimes the quality and condition of the produce has been “variable”. Again this lowers our interaction with others and supports a local trader and the town’s economy in a small way.
In our kitchen we have a normal fridge freezer and a full size freezer in the garage. Sometimes we store additional frozen food at my mother-in-law’s house. Do we need a further freezer in our garage? Perhaps we do.
We wonder if the Government’s “risk register” includes food supply for the nation? Surely it must.
2. Being a good neighbour
Rachel and I have really enjoyed being able to be a good neighbour. Most people try to be as self sufficient as possible, which is fine, maybe there is also a little pride with some not wanting to accept help from a neighbour. We are also somewhat “reserved” as a population. It has, nevertheless, been nice getting to know some people in our neighbourhood better these days.
I can’t help the nagging feeling about the need to do more. However, we have all seen news reports of extraordinarily good things happening in neighbourhoods everywhere with people looking out for each other and I think we need to take note of this.
This is fine and yet with life at full speed, these things can easily get squeezed out. We need to think more on this, getting our priorities right and having the wherewithal to simply knock on someone’s door. As I said, we are a reserved bunch and I’m not sure we should be.
Our church ‘home group’ is now accustomed to getting WhatsApp messages along the lines of “who wants a spaghetti bolognese this evening?” and then we deliver the meals at about 5:00pm. We all need to do more of this.
3. Taking care of our mental and physical health
For us this has been okay but we know the beautiful weather has made things easier. Having so much sunshine, warmth and the daylight getting longer has been a real gift. We have enjoyed gardening and I’ve enjoyed running out into the countryside; it’s so easy to feel positive and get plenty of exercise.
However a Lockdown in winter will be different for some and the changing seasons will restrict the options to some extent. Being outside in bright daylight is important for everyone’s wellbeing so this is something we need to pay attention to – it’s important.
4. Online churches
Most churches now have their Sunday services streamed online nowadays. While this might be easy if the church’s people have the skills to do this, not all churches do, so there are opportunities for collaboration and learning. Some churches may have a leadership where they feel uncomfortable in being accessible by a wider audience and need time to adjust and weigh things up.
Online church services are brilliant for people who might be curious but wary of ever going to a church in person. They might feel awkward in not knowing when to stand or sit, uncertain about the dress code or how to blend into the background and not be noticed – these are all very understandable.
With imagination and good use of technology, churches can adapt to explain their faith to a wider audience and give people a better understanding of the Christian life. I’m sure the same will apply to many other faiths.
An obvious challenge is bringing this to those who do not have, or want, access to the internet. This can be overcome but it does mean both ‘sides’ being willing to invest, adapt and be flexible, taking on something new.
The other aspect is we can dip into other churches. Last Sunday I watched the Com Church service and it was rather like watching breakfast television – it was good – and I liked the live interaction with people making live prayer requests and making online comments. I particularly liked the ‘Pastor in the Park’ initiative where anyone can arrange to meet a Pastor on a park bench to talk things over.
5. The importance of routines
We are learning the value of more regular routines, although left to my own devices I prefer a more fluid approach! Nevertheless we find it so helpful to have different days for doing certain things.
It is also helpful to do useful things, chores etc in the mornings and then hobbies, exercise and relaxation in the afternoons and evenings.
We also try to phone a friend from time to time.
6. Keeping our relationships right
From time to time we all need to just pause, reflect on who we are, why we love each other and express that love. Just a few kind, appreciative words which are unprompted is good in any relationship – these are just some of the ingredients in maintaining good relationships.
It is so important we all take care to keep our relationships right during these challenging times.
7. Stepping back and thinking about the news we get
There’s so much heavy-going stuff in the news these days. Sure, it’s important that we know what is going on with current events.
It is right we have the media holding the Government to account and asking those difficult questions. It is also true that we need a good, strong opposition to keep the Government on its toes.
However, there are benefits in doing a few things:
- Seek out positive news stories – there are plenty around but they don’t make the headlines
- Make sure you are informed from a variety of different sources – radio (national, local), TV, newspapers, Twitter and online newsfeeds
- Be part of the news process. Call in to the local radio station. Use social media to connect with national radio and TV – it’s surprisingly easy these days!