So near and yet so far!

Hello, lovelies. 

     We have all waited and watched as the world as we knew it stopped, changed and then turned into something that we could never have predicted. We had ridden the Corona wave from the moment we saw it coming on the horizon. We stayed strong as we were all swept along on uncertain ground. And finally, we could see the end of this crazy ride, only for that hope of some sort of normality to come crashing down around us. Is that it? Are we doomed to spend yet another year looked down, locked out and alone as we wait for this all to be over? Is there truth in the new saying, ‘No jab – No job’? Have we come this far only to be stopped in our tracks, unable to move forward and unwilling to go back? Can we stand the wait, hoping that this will be the last time? Or can we use our knowledge, understanding and strength to hold strong for a few more weeks? 

    

 As we stand on the precipice of lockdown easing, it’s a funny feeling knowing that just as our freedom was actually going to happen this time, we are catapulted right back to where we started. But some how worse off, as we have already done this. We have done the whole stuck in a rut thing, not knowing what our futures held for us. But at least the first time round we had the hope that one day this would soon be over. And we sat and waited. And waited. Forever waiting. The end was in sight. I could go to the theatre again. Live music. Freedom to go where we wanted when we wanted. To not freak out when we hear someone coughing. For the wearing of masks to be only used by the medical profession. No longer being afraid. Afraid of getting sick. Afraid of the world never opening again. Afraid that this is it. We have wasted 15 months of our lives doing nothing. I just want to scream to the world at large, no more. We have suffered enough. Could any of this have been avoided? If we had shut the boarders 3 weeks earlier than we did, would we be able to open now? And what of this new variant? Will this new strain start the whole lockdown process all over again? And, god forbid, what if the death rate rises again? How will we ever be able to survive that? 

    But this time it is different. This time we are not alone. I went out for a walk the other day. I needed to get out and breathe some fresh air. From an outside perspective the world is already back up and running at full speed. The roads are busy. The shops are full. People are in the parks, on the buses and are lined up outside the pubs up and down this great country of ours. On my walk, I stopped to pet a puppy and had a lovely conversation with its owner about fostering greyhounds. Okay, so I did instantly call my daughter and demand that we adopted a greyhound asap. Thankfully she managed to talk some sense into me, as we already have 2 dogs, and they are a handful enough as it is. And for a moment I could forget all about the lockdown. Forget about another four weeks of restrictions. And just be there, petting a dog and having a chat with someone. Things are different. We are different. So many things could have been done differently, but we are here, in a place that we have been in for a very long time. And that’s the secret. That’s how we get through this. We can do it again, because we know that we can. We have already done it. Another four weeks we can do again. We can do it with ease. Safe in the knowledge that while we wait, more and more people are getting vaccinated. Four weeks or four months, it’s not what we want. But we can do it. We are not alone. And if you do feel alone, an excellent way to beat those blues is by adopting a grey hound. Or any animal for that matter. They have unconditional love for us, they don't care how we look or how much money we have. Lock down has been hard on our four legged friends. They need us. And I for one, would love to be locked in my house with a new animal friend.