Author: areyouwithme24

Dear coronavirus,

I’ve seen viruses before, but not like you. When I first heard of you, I thought that you would disappear as quickly and unbeknownst as you arrived. And because of that I honestly cannot pinpoint the moment I first heard of you.

You just were.

So now as time goes on you are all I ever hear about. In the news, on my social media, even everyone’s status updates are consumed by you. Baking banana bread, oh it’s “isolation” banana bread now. And with that, what we have considered “everyday life” for as long as we have lived… was altered by you.

Even though you will be just a blip in our timeline, our lives are forever changed. And in years to come even though you may be background noise; your present will still be felt.

New Years Resolution

For some of us we like to meet each year with goals, and resolutions. And despite sometimes preparing for the worst, no one could have conjured up a global crisis quite like you.

I for one was hoping that ‘2020’ would be my year. A new decade, a new era meaning a fresh start and whole lot more growing to do. So I set myself goals and plans and was hoping they would all fall into place, slowly but surely. But in a matter of months, I quickly realised there would have to be a change of plans…

To begin with, I finally ticked “moving to the Big Smoke” off my list of goals. A goal I have had since I can remember. And while I got a taste of the big city and what life could be, it was sadly cut short because of you. And by now, I have spent more time inside the walls of my Unit than exploring what my new life had to offer.

I know when people talk of dreams, they always say there are hurdles. Failure. I thought would be my hurdle. But not a life where I had no means to try. I got a glimpse of trying, and I think that is the hardest. A life I dreamed of but is now on pause.

But yet I still cannot be angry at you.

Meaningful Communication

I miss my family and friends, who because of you I cannot see, but in some ways I feel more connected to them. A double edged sword. Being able to have the freedom to see family and friends has always been such a given, maybe I feel like I have become lazy. Now I feel like it is my responsibility more than ever to not just reach out but find ways I can make communicating meaningful.

Checking up on your friends and family is so important during this time. When I get asked how I am going, it grounds me. Reminds me that you are affecting all of us in some way. I think missing people is the common ground that everyone in this world shares right now. Although I do not believe in using the phrase, “we’re all in the same boat” for this global crisis, because let’s face it, we’re not but no matter what kind of boat you’re riding in during this pandemic, we can all agree we miss someone. And it is because of this we have found ways to overcome the barriers of non-physical communication.

Friday night Zoom catch ups with the family. Making Tik Tok content, which is my personal favourite. And simply talking on messenger with friends. Not to catch up on all the moments we’ve missed in each other’s lives but conversations that go for ages on things we sometimes never discuss with each other. Like goals we have for the future, favourite films and actors and how our mental health is going. Topics of conversation that we sometimes deem unimportant in the scheme of life but in actual fact they are imperative to the relationships we have with each other. It’s called bonding. And because of you, corona virus, I feel like I’m bonding with friends and family all over again. So how can I be angry with that?

On the bright side

Or with the fact that Mother Nature is finally getting the break she deserves. Although I don’t see it fixing any long term issues, I do see that Earth is finally experiencing some reduction in pollution and carbon emission. And the wildlife are enjoying the serenity, with numerous pods of dolphins occupying the Amalfi Coast and the swans flocking to the Venice Canals.

STILL…

This situation is overwhelming.

We lost our freedom, we lost our jobs and dare I say is it- we lost our pubs and cafes. What was “routine” in our lives is suddenly disrupted. Initially, this freaked me.

But there is a bright side.

Once I said to myself; Instead of sitting here and being sad about a situation that I cannot change, I need to use this time to focus on parts of my life I do have control over. For me, I have decided to put my energy into writing and planning my future creative endeavours. It is something I have always meant to do but never have had the time to put my sole focus into it.

Because let’s be honest; when will we ever have this much time on our hands? Or when will we ever again have hardly any distraction in our lives? So I’m taking this pandemic as a sign from the universe to kick my butt into line. And judging from my socials I know I’m not the only one trying to use this time productively. I SEE you hustling!

This time we have been given during lockdown should be seen as a once in a life opportunity where we can actually focus on the little things that make us happy, the things that often fall by the wayside because of our busy lives.

For some reason we get so caught up among the hustle and bustle of life we sometimes seem to forget to do the things that really make us feel like we are ‘living.’ We start to see our jobs as a chore, and forget why we chose to pursue it in the first place. Activities we are so lucky to do everyday, we begin to take for granted. Everyday blessings not being acknowledged because of everyday stress.

We forget to count the ‘small’ successes, because we are so focused on the ‘big’ successes. Hopefully we can use this time to be easy on ourselves and find comfort in knowing we achieved the little things, no matter how small.

Change

And I know my relationship with you, corona virus, is one of privilege. For a lot of people you are purely toxic or have been a trying time. And I recognise I am one of the lucky ones. So that is why I will use you as a lesson. I plan to take what you taught me and apply it to my every day life for now I know… that even if the notion of tomorrow is 99% guaranteed…. it truly doesn’t mean the world we live in, the world we know and the world we love, is.

The silver-lining

A visionary called William S Burroughs once said, “if you’re not changing, you’re dying.” Though it sounds pessimistic, in wake of the recent pandemic it is all too fitting. If not for nothing, I hope you have made us kinder, more compassionate, more present and more self- aware. In some ways if not for such as catalyst like yourself, the world would remain the same, and in some ways, not necessarily for the better.

Yours sincerely,  Maddison Jones