Six Lockdown Silver Linings
SILVER LININGS
So the saying goes: ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.’ A pertinent, often clichéd quote that people have been known to casually throw around when times get tough. Well folks, it’s stormy going out there at the moment. It’s scary, it’s confronting, and even for those of us who are not on the frontline fighting this virus every day, it sometimes feels almost impossible to see the light beyond the storm. Moments in history, such as these, always bring out the best, and worst, of humanity – it has been uplifting to see incredible feats of kindness, empathy and selflessness, from all corners of our community. They also demand that we, as individuals, reflect on our own contributions. The choices we make don’t just make ripples, but can turn into waves: waves of chaos or waves of calm and positivity. Despite feeling that much of our freedom has been taken from us, every single one of us has the opportunity to make choices and create waves. And if our efforts of kindness and compassion never make it past our front door, nobody should ever belittle the importance of them, and the impact they will have in the future. With this in mind, I spoke to a few local mums who have made the choice to savour the extra time with their families, spend time creating happiness, and channel their energy into gratitude, productivity and love. Below, they each share their own personal ‘lockdown silver lining’: the moments of utter joy found amongst the chaos, enjoyed whilst waiting for the storm to pass.
Mandy Woodward I am thoroughly enjoying spending time with my babies. I’m loving having every second with them, they are sweet, funny, and crazy and I love them dearly so I’m treasuring every single moment. Not every second is bliss, but it’s my heaven. We, at the moment, are together, safe and happy. Take care and stay safe – my silver lining is simple, but I’m incredibly grateful.
Jo Proud During these unprecedented times, when there is so much uncertainty on the future, I have often felt guilty about saying (so far) I’ve been lucky and it’s been good for me. I have been able to spend time with my own children. We still have the school work for my eight year old but my fifteen year old is a GCSE child who won’t be sitting his exams so I have loved having time to support him with future choices. We have all spend more time cycling, exploring our natural environment in glorious weather, enjoying the wildlife and keeping fit (ish), lots of gardening being done by all of us so the garden is looking great. Both children have been baking and even making an evening meal, learning new skills and building more confidence in the kitchen – my son is even experimenting with one-minute microwave cookies! Outside, he even built a temporary coop for our chickens (due to a delivery issue) and both love the fresh eggs. It warms my heart seeing them happy and excited as they look and nurture our chickens; it is giving them a distraction from the persistent virus news that (unless managed) was starting to bring them down. They miss their friends, but we have technology that allows some contact. My daughter has learnt origami from a friend via Face time. We have had socials with friends and doing a BBQ dinner party all together this weekend. I love the chance to be creative, think more about humanity, and the environment, take time to breathe – and live... continued >
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