Wow! Does everyone else out there feel like they blinked and the whole world changed? In one week, I went from full-time English teacher, rushing madly every morning to get my children to early morning AP Maths lessons, Orchestra rehearsal, going about my life in a blind rush, to homeschooling mom, teaching online and missing my social interactions with my many, many dear friends and family. It feels a little insane.

To be honest, leading up to our president’s announcement that schools would shut on 18th March, I had had some arrogant moments of thinking this was all a big hype – my friend’s big corporate company had put a ban on international travel and I was outraged on her behalf: she would lose the money she had spent on the flight, and the opportunity to stay for half price at a 5 star lodge is surely once in a lifetime. Little did I know, international travel would be the least of our worries.

In a few short weeks, so many people I know have lost their small businesses, have had to retrench staff, and have absolutely no idea how they are going to continue to make a living. Anyone with a business in tourism, retail or service has instantly felt the reality of our fragile economy. It’s devastating.

So far, I only know a few people who have contracted Coronavirus or who have been in direct contact with those who have. Thankfully, these people are able to get private health care and are almost guaranteed a full recovery. That almost seems the least of our worries at this point. However, that shouldn’t make us complacent – there are some excellent resources about how social distancing (or rather physical distancing) is going to save us from a major health catastrophe which our poor health system definitely won’t cope with.

I can’t stress the impact of physical distancing enough – mostly because I have some loved ones who are really vulnerable. My seventy-six year old dad has rheumatoid arthritis. My dear friend also has an auto-immune disease and doesn’t know how this would affect her health. Another friend’s dad is in hospital suffering from dementia, and she is unable to visit him because her partner’s daughter goes (went!) to school with a child who was diagnosed this week. My mom-in-law has a heart problem brought about by a viral infection twenty years ago. The problem is, we are walking around potentially infected without any symptoms at all, and everyone we have been in contact with is potentially at risk, or a risk.

Does this mean we need to panic and be afraid? Definitely not. This is no time for fear mongering. Fear is contagious and dangerous. It weakens the immune system and causes us to act in primitive, disconnected ways. What we should be doing is finding ways to connect with each other from a distance and also to turn inwards and connect with ourselves again. I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time online for the last week, teaching, looking for materials so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and connecting on social media. I’m heartened by the generosity of people and businesses, who are sharing resources and keeping each other company. I feel for people who are self-isolating alone! I also think we have a responsibility to try to help where we can – supporting local restaurants by sending meals to friends or family; buying vouchers for shows or tourism-related events for later; donations to soup kitchens and other amazing folk who support the most vulnerable amongst us.

But we also need to disconnect from social media – there is too much information out there, not all of it true. It can lead us down a slippery slope of anxiety, fear and confusion. aTurn inwards, or turn to your favourite guru. Listen to meditations and music. Paint. Dance. Write. Create! There are so many amazing musicians sharing live streams and recordings from inside their houses. Tune in! And support them financially where you can.

I can’t help feeling that the Earth was badly in need of a re-boot. Consumerism has gone mad and the resultant damage to the planet has probably reached the point of no return. I’m curious to see what we decide to do on the other side of all this. Are we going to return to our unconscious ways, or will we emerge a little more aware of what is important, a little more thoughtful about our choices, a little humbler? I certainly hope so.

Wash your hands regularly, particularly if you have to venture out to the shops and keep a safe distance from people while you’re out there. While you’re home, get around to those irritating chores that you never have time for. Phone/video call your friends. And definitely practise gratitude every day. This, too, shall pass. How we carry ourselves through this crisis and how we emerge on the other side will speak volumes about who we are. Let’s choose to be our best, most considerate, connected and loving kind selves.

Take care, beautiful people. Have a beautiful day.

Lisa