Hmmm, haven’t we been here before?
Lockdown. Stay at Home. Physical distancing. Groceries and medical appointments only. Round three of being handcuffed to our homes. Does that mean third time lucky? I wish I could be that positive. Optimism is a scarce commodity at the moment
Figuring out how to get some enjoyment out of life for the last year has been akin to assembling a million piece jigsaw puzzle. Pun intended.
I read today that hot tubs sales are booming. Makes sense. If you have to be stuck at home, lounging in a hot tub is not a bad way to go about it. But if you do not have one, good luck. Orders are backlogged. April 2022 is the delivery date if you order now.
Gardening is also growing rapidly as a hobby – anything from growing tomatoes on your balcony to volunteering in community gardens. Seed purchases are blossoming with some of the highest sales ever. (Insert your own pun here.)
I do not own a home so buying a hot tub or gardening is not in my future. Instead, last night I cooked a big steak, which should have provided me with two meals, and gleefully scarfed it down in one sitting.
We have vaccines now which could be seen as a reason for optimism. But I will confess I am puzzled by all the Facebook posts on the subject. Booked my vaccine appointment for Friday! Or the Just got my vaccine shot selfie.
It seems like getting your shot is a badge of honour. My apologies if you find this offensive, but I do not see that way. It is either a necessary obligation or a Band-Aid slapped on a problem that should never have unfolded the way it did.
For the record, I had my first vaccine shot yesterday and have the paperwork – and the sore arm – to prove it. It also occurred to me that if you wanted to catch COVID-19,a mass immunization clinic would be a good place to do so. I have not been in proximity with that many people in quite some time.
On a related note, can we please cease and desist with the social media posts blaming it all on the bad apples that are not following the letter of the law. Asserting that the current state of affairs is all their fault is naïve, to say the least. The post-mortem on the pandemic is yet to come and the causal factors may surprise you when they are revealed.
But returning to the initial discussion, how do we go about squeezing a little pleasure out of life when we are handcuffed to our homes? The trite phrases that got us through rounds one and two – Be patient, Enjoy the little things, Better times are ahead – are wearing thin.
Perhaps Vietnamese Monk Nhat Hanh has the best advice on that question.
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,
but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: COVID-19 · deja vu · joy · lockdown · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · stay at homeNo Comments