I haven’t heard a mention of that terrible term ‘comfort zone,’ since Covid got a grip on the world.
I had serious objections to what I saw as a very ‘first world’ idea that we all needed to push out of our so-called comfort zones in order to realise our potential or find ourselves. It seemed to overlook the immense hardship that many people had to endure long before Covid struck: ill-health, poverty, abuse, grief, financial problems, natural disasters …..
Suddenly Covid came and it’s like it pushed everyone out of their normal round so fussing about comfort zones became redundant.
The thing is that when we finally get Covid under control, the old issues will still be there but I hope there will be far more understanding by the haves about the extent to which the have-nots often struggle desperately and that even having time to be bothered about comfort zones is a sign of privilege, albeit a very fragile privilege.
We have been restricted to 5km here in Ireland since early January but April 12 is due to bring a re-opening of travel within one’s county. So, I am gearing up to go and visit my favourite haunts in this beautiful county of mine.
Here’s what I am looking foward to:
The Copper CoastDunmore EastMahon FallsAlong Waterford GreenwayMother NatureComeragh MountainsBallyduff UpperWaterford CityThe Anne Valley Swans
We’re still in Level 5 Lockdown in Ireland after the terrible surge of cases post Christmas.
The 5km restriction is still here and only essential shops are open. Visits to houses and gardens are banned
There are some green shoots, however.
Case numbers that were in the 6,000 a day range have dropped gradually to about 550 and hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths are also decreasing.
Some classes in schools have opened up again recently and education and health services are priorities.
Vaccination rollout is slow due mainly to distribution issues but it is happening.
It’s not an easy time for anyone but it is such a relief that the out of controlness post-Christmas seems to have been dealt with.
Caution is the name of the game as we saw what the pre-Christmas opening did and the price paid has been terrible.
It will be many months before there is much relaxation but hopefully it will be worth the wait.
Seeing our county figures drop to single figures some days this week has been wonderful after the horrific outbreak here in Tramore after Christmas when the town was ravaged with the virus leaving many still very unwell or bereft.
I am intrigued with the surge in exercising during our various lockdowns in Ireland and I presume it is pretty much the same in many other countries.
Could it be that when Covid is finally under control that kids especially will continue to play outdoors and go for cycles, sea swims, surfing, cycling, walking, running, roller-skating ….
Could this possibly be a long-term benefit of the whole Covid horror or will there be a revert back to screens and indoor play dates.
It is such a change to see so many people out in the fresh air. I’m just not sure, though, if it’s the fit getting fitter or if there are new recruits who will have gained a love of outdoor exercise and its benefits and keep it up.
There’s a humongous amount of talk swirling round about holidays here in Ireland at the moment and it seems to have become a national obsession about whether foreign holidays will be allowed or whether it will have to be holidays in Ireland due to Covid19.
The latest effort to go away on holidays that has been reported is Irish people booking in for dental work in sunny climes – essential travel in their eyes – but not showing up for their appointments.
Holidays are not important to me at all, at all. I used to enjoy them as a kid when we took family holidays in Ireland but since adulthood, I have never been too pushed about them and certainly don’t feel that 2 weeks in some sun spot or in some busy city is anything special.
Maybe, it’s because I live in a beautiful place which offers delights all around me and because it is on the coast has that ever-changingness about it.
I often wonder if holidays are a sort of expectation and will never forget my first day back in College after First Year when all the talk was about Summers in the US or Greece. I had spent a blissful Summer coaching tennis in Ireland and playing in a host of tennis tournaments mainly around Dublin. I didn’t feel deprived at all but was always a bit surprised that holidays or the lack of them were among criteria for defining poverty.
I know that there is the view that travel broadens the mind and refreshes one but is this blown out of all proportion and driven by social media, travel industry and so-called celebreties and influencers?
If I were to identify my dream holiday, it would be to some remote parts of coastal Ireland that I have never been to and that includes a few of our little islands. I don’t care if it rains or not as I see tremendous beauty in rain, raindrops and rainbows.
I have no idea why it is that Lockdown has re-opened my love of duets. It’s like I can’t quite cope with bands or choirs but want to hear more than one voice.
Here’s one that brings me back to an evening many moons ago when I uttered a version of the main line from this song and in so doing kept a friendship alive that I have no doubt would otherwise have fizzled out without me ever realising the potential that it had and the joy which it would ultimately bring.
The whole issue of vaccination against Covid19 seems to be dominating every news outlet I hear, see or read.
I wonder to what extent vaccination is being perceived as as the silver bullet against this virus. Or is it gold, bronze, an also ran or a non-starter.
Here in Ireland it seems to me that it is being played down a little in case people get ahead of themselves and drop their guard in terms of the hand-washing, social distancing, going for testing etc.
Puppy Stan here. It feels like ages since I got my paws on the computery thing but thought I’d grab this chance when no one is looking.
Me
What’s most different is that the house is all changed cos my Dada is here everyday now cos his job isn’t on with the virus thing. I don’t really understand what’s going on but all I know is he’s here and, you see, I’m his pet. He adores me and I adore him too.
He told me that he never had a dog when he was growing up and that I, yes, I am the first dog he’s ever really got to know and had a chance to be with and see that dogs can be great friends.
He spoils me rotten and Jean is always giving out when he gives me yummy bits to eat. She’s cut down on my food to compensate. I hate that word.
Anyway, there’s a whole new routine and I’m down at the sea every night with Dada and Big Bro. I just love being out in the dark with them cos I feel safe even if the sea is wilder than wild.
That ankle episode with Jean is still a mess cos I can’t seem to stop pulling on the lead and her ankle is STILL wibbly-wobbly with me yanking her all over the place.
But, you should see the way my Dada even let’s me out into the front garden and he doesn’t seem to mind if I walk on the flowers. I try not to cos I know from Jean that I shouldn’t but I kinda get carried away especially if he throws a ball for me.
It’s hard to explain but him and me have been through a lot together. I minded him when he got a new hip. Just sat with him really but he says he owes me one now after all my attention then. Sure, I was just as glad to have him there and he let me lie on Jean’s side of the bed when he was having rests. I don’t think she knew cos I did my best not to leave paw marks or hair or mucky tennis balls.
So, this virus thing has an upside for me anyway. I just hope Dada doesn’t get it or any of the others or anyone cos it sounds rotten. But, will he forget about me when he eventually gets back to work and will Jean keep compensating?
There’s a host of gorgeous places within a radius of about 10km of my Tramore but they might as well be across the Atlantic now that we are in a 5km lockdown situation.
I know I will appreciate them all the more when the restrictions are lifted and that they will be as beautiful as ever.
Ever since I was about ten or eleven I had a thing about taking time to think about what was going on in my life – all dimensions of it – and tended to get very unsettled if I wasn’t able to step back and process what had been happening. I had life categorised into key aspects like: family health, my studies, tennis, friendships, money, peace in Ireland and the world. It was unusual to find that everything was going great at the same time but it was also reassuring to find that it was highly unusual to find that all aspects were in a complete mess.
I used to write a lot back then in big notebooks and always felt much better when I had caught up with myself- so to speak.
I remember asking a few friends who were a bit older than me if they felt the need to do the same and they looked at me as if I was totally mad. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone since in case I get the same reaction ( I’ve learned not to give a damn now if people think I’m daft) but thought processing/ or the lack of it has been playing on my mind of late as I know I have been dodging a lot of what has been going on because it can all be a bit hard to take in and deal with.
However, I kinda know it’s time to face up to unprocessed thoughts when sleep is all broken and my greatest desire is to walk faster than the speed of thought. The latter is definitely good for fitness and for de-stressing in the short term but it’s no way to be carrying on day in, day out, as I perceive it.
I suspect that half the world is grappling with trying to come to terms with the multiplicity of changes that have occurred in the last year or so. The pandemic is one huge matter but clearly everyone has additional things going on in their lives and the pandemic is most definitely not impacting on everyone in the same ways.
So, how are you all doing in terms of thought processing? Was it something you felt the need to do before these strange times or did you simply live, live, live?
Also, how are you dealing with thought processes now in the midst of the pandemic especially if your ‘normal’ round has been turned upside down and inside out either directly or indirectly by the virus or by something else entirely?
