It seems these days that the world has gone mad.
At least watching White House news conferences has increased my gratitude to be a Canadian and Albertan at this time.
That’s not to say all is well at home, with the Liberals trying to pass a law to restrict what people can say online about COVID-19, but I sure am glad to have a calm, rational-sounding person at the helm in Dr. Deena Hinshaw rather than a blustering president in denial.
Canada’s Prime Minister isn’t anything to brag about either. The latest controversy is his decision to spend Easter with his family at their cottage, although I find that incident insignificant compared to other, significantly more substantial examples of his hypocrisy, such as firing two female MP’s for speaking up about the whole SNC-Lavalin affair.
At least Trudeau isn’t constantly repeating, “I’m not a doctor” ad nauseum, and then proceeding to give unqualified medical advice.
There is much fodder available to consume on the national and international level if one cares to dive down that particular rabbit hole, and although Ponoka has been relatively unaffected so far when it comes to active cases, the overall affect is certainly felt here.
The common motto being touted is “we’re all in the same boat,” but the truth is, we may be in the same storm, but not everyone is in the same boat. Some have been hit by this far harder than others, and in the midst of this, ordinary troubles still exist as life goes on.
On the lighter side though, there are some common experiences we’re all dealing with and can all relate to.
I’m starting to miss the everyday things, like being able to stop by my favourite thrift store,
I miss just shopping without feeling somehow like a fugitive, who has to constantly look over their shoulder to see who may be following too close, or feeling watched for what I’m buying.
I miss the leisure of being able to browse, instead of just grabbing what I need as quickly as possible and getting out.
I miss the ability to procrastinate making appointments. Hey, I was going to get around to doing those things eventually, like getting my hair done.
I have fraying, split ends and I’ve been tempted more than once lately to attempt a self-exorcism. It may happen yet.
I miss my family, too. On my side, they are all in Calgary, in the thick of things, and we haven’t visited since Christmas, I think it was.
As days wear on, people are becoming more impatient for this thing to end and for life to go back to normal.
Here, just based on the lack of cases, it would be reasonable to say we have less to fear than those living in larger centres.
We’ve successfully isolated, it seems.
I know I’m not too concerned about contracting the virus myself. My concern is more for my children, one of which would have been having a tonsillectomy today to help him breath easier, but that surgery has now been put on hold indefinitely.
I am worried for him, because he already has difficulty breathing normally. He can’t afford to catch COVID-19.
When I’m feeling humorous, I joke that the only thing I’m really scared about is that Netflix will eventually run out of new content and there won’t be anything left that I’m interested in binge-watching!
Hey, it’s not all garbage entertainment — some is actually quite educational. I’ve been learning about the crusades and the rise of the Ottoman empire and the legal system in Italy.
Those saying if you don’t come out of this with a new hobby, or clean house, etcetera, you were never going to, may be well-intentioned, but ill-informed.
Stress or trauma trigger either a fight or flight response: We can either become hyper-productive or experience exhaustion, numbness or sadness. Both responses are valid.
If you keep roller-coasting between the two, you’re also likely not alone.
When you feel yourself slowing down, try to be kind to yourself, and give yourself that break your body is asking for. Your system may be dealing with more stress under the surface than you’re aware of.
Keep hanging in there.