Day Twenty Two - 'I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come...'

I was shocked to read that Boris Johnson has been admitted to Intensive Care. And I'm not sure why I feel it so acutely. It's not as if he is the first person to be in the ICU these last few weeks. Hundreds of people have, some have never left. 😢 Possibly because it goes beyond politics. Goodness knows I'm not a political animal. It always seems to me that politics causes far more problems than it solves. Politicians seem to think in black and white instead of the grey that everything actually is. Johnson is now another person who has fallen prey to this insidious pathogen. And maybe it is a subconscious reaction to a 'leader' not being in a position to lead. Whatever the reason I do wish him well. I'm also concerned for Her Majesty. She saw Boris didn't she? Quite recently? Incubation can take up to 28 days in some cases, I read somewhere?

I read on social media that people are planning a clap for Boris at 8pm today. I won't join in, not for any political agenda but because I still believe the gesture should be reserved for its original purpose. I remember being annoyed with MacMillan Cancer when they hijacked the Ice Bucket Challenge. That was always about ALS (Motor Neurone Disease) but attention was diverted. Be creative. Be original. Don't plagiarise.

I had hoped that my little town, my little neck of the woods had avoided the 'bank holiday' mentality that seems to grip London on Sunday. Herd immunity became herd insanity. But I was disappointed to see evidence this morning ( and yesterday if I'm honest) of overflowing rubbish bins full of food from takeaways, the packaging and coffee cups.  Vermin had been at the bins. Funny, isn't  it, all that stockpiling of food and you could feed a family of four for a week from the content of those bins. Disgraceful. And NOT essential. Even if you decide to indulge in the luxury of a takeaway you should be having it at home. On the subject of takeaways a local restaurant very close to my house is, quite enterprisingly, offering a takeaway service. Not a delivery service though. My sister suggested I treat myself. She may have been suggesting it tongue in cheek, I'm not sure. But I cannot justify it as an essential trip. And it got me thinking that I would actually prefer to prepare all my own food at the moment. Am I paranoid? I can only hope that all personnel preparing food are observing stringent hygiene practices. But I could never be sure. So I wouldn't risk a takeaway right now.

Somebody on the school WhatsApp group was telling of how her GP told her that someone had contracted the virus thought mishandling of shopping or post. People were saying they leave their post for a couple of days before opening it. I do spray or wipe everything that comes into the house but it seems this thing has invisible tentacles that will reach into every corner of our lives. I'm still concerned  also about the virus's ability to reinfect. Admittedly it is only the tabloid newspapers who are reporting that over 50 people who have had the virus and recovered from it supposedly have tested positive for the virus again.

Something else that has amazed me is how 'well' I seem to be dealing with this. I still find there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do yet there are people complaining of boredom. I do find myself actually worrying about how I'll cope when we come out of lockdown! How screwed up is that? Maybe not. Maybe it's about adaptation and possibly institutionalisation? The people who are finding it hard are maybe neophobes who struggle to adapt to anything different. For me I've traded one set of rituals for another, I guess. I won't say I don't get down sometimes for the reasons I've detailed in past posts but that's understandable isn't it? I'm not letting it dominate. I might have a good cry from time to time and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

The good weather endures and I've had a productive day sorting out a little garden shed. One of those portable ones. I emptied it. Cleaned inside and all around. I doubt I could have done that this time last year. Not just because I would have struggled physically but mentally too. Could it be this situation is making me mentally stronger?