Oh The Simple things in Life

Abbie Cooper Davis Columnist

abbie@localbuzzmagazine.com

Ordinarily, the summer months are synonymous with jetting away to somewhere hot, hearing the joyous sounds of children playing on swings whilst walking by the local park and the annoying arrival of itchy eyes, runny noses; the relentless hay fever symptoms inherent to the w arm weather.

Whilst the onset of hay fever is still sure to prevail this June, quarantine will bring many unprecedented changes; a truly one of a kind summer.

The outbreak of coronavirus and the changes symptomatic of this pandemic have truly shaken the world. However, such unprecedented events and worries should not be perceived as entir ely negative.

Rather a time to appreciate the simple aspects of life and family time, amidst the absence of the ordinary chaos of commuting to work, the dreaded school run and the last-minute holiday packing. and learn new skills, previously rendered impossible when there were not enough hours in the day.

Lockdown has ignited a new problem – there are too many hours in the day to fill. We have found the simple things, painting, baking bread and planting seeds, essentially learning the oldfashioned arts of self-sufficiency and entertainment.

In times of adversity, new forms of heroism emerge among frontline workers, healthcare professionals, cleaners, volunteers and many others.

Neighbours are brought together, figuratively, though not literally, through their weekly applause of key workers and the resurgence of neighbourliness and volunteering has created newfound means of giving and caring. Family members perhaps far away or even estranged, have reached out, forming connections previously lost and diluted.

These forgotten pleasures provide immense meaning to life and community, introducing a dynamic unfortunately exempt from the mundane routine of nine-to-five jobs.

The world has re-discovered life’s simple pleasures, anticipate them and savour them, before this awful time becomes history.