I took this photograph about a year ago. While a pleasant rural scene along the Grand Union Canal, it was when self isolation was becoming a thing and we were sliding into the most bizarre world.
I have found myself thinking about this a lot over the last few days.
Firstly I feel thankful we have been protected from the virus, certainly an answer to prayer. We have been protected and cushioned in many other ways too.
And yet for society as a whole, a heavy price has been paid. I remember hearing on the news, perhaps a year or so ago, when a Chris Witty type said something like “if we get through this with just 20,000 dying, that’ll be a good result”. That made me shudder at the time and compared to the current situation, I suppose it would have been a good result after all. I feel angry when I recall Matt Hancock declaring the risk to the public is low and there’s no evidence face masks make any difference, while at the same time giving the impression they were on top of the situation.
Some folk seem to have done quite well from the crisis but many more have suffered personal loss, relationship pressures, loss of income, lost careers and mounting worries. We hear about the pandemic widening the divisions in society – the rich getting richer, while the poor become poorer. The Government would do well to address this but I fear they will fail for the umpteenth time.
Few thought the COVID situation would go on so long, almost harking back to WW1 all being over by Christmas. Even if a magic wand was waved, I think I’d find it difficult to switch back into a normal way of shaking someone’s hand, being in close proximity with others, going freely into shops, travelling in a crowded train, going to the gym, the church and yet I’d want to.
Society has changed. We have all changed. We say we don’t want to go back to “normal” but what kind of a society do we want or are likely to get?
Pausing these COVID thoughts for now; other things….
I have found running very tiring over the last couple of runs, not that they were particularly long, it’s just this tiredness and fatigue gets to me every now and then as I go through little phases. Normally I sleep very well. Last night, according to my Fitbit, I was in deep sleep for twice as much as usual and I certainly knew I’d had a good night’s sleep when I woke this morning. And now at 9:00pm I am so tired; I could go to bed and be asleep almost instantly.
This is all very well but I have my fortnightly run with my friend Jon tomorrow. These days he drags me around our course faster and further than I would choose but I always feel pretty darn good afterwards. We are a similar age and we used to be well matched, these days he’s fitter than me but I live in hope!
We are still getting used to having the house to ourselves again, having returned my mother to her home on Friday. We did the 330 mile round trip on Friday and it was quite tiring. Nevertheless it was nice travelling back with Rachel. Sometimes we’d chat, other times miles would drift by in silence but not because we’d had a row or anything. It is nice just being with her, we don’t have to talk all the time, we love each other and sometimes you don’t need constant chatter to know that!