The good that has come from COVID-19

It’s Easter Sunday, the lamb is roasting in the oven, I’ve poured myself a glass of Pinot Noir and I have Selling Homes Australia on the TV. The kids have built their tent and camp site outside,   I can honestly say I’ve had the best Easter ever. 

We were due to go to Kangaroo Valley with a group of friends which would have been so much fun, but this year we have got back to basics and actually spent time with our kids and shared in their Easter delight, this the last year they will probably believe in the Easter Bunny and I wanted to appreciate every moment.

This self-isolating has got some advantages; I am not worried about having the house clean, or what I’m wearing, what Easter eggs I should buy other kids, it is just  “rancho relaxo” at our house. 

I have appreciated a lot of changes in this post Covid-19 world and I always try and look for the good in everything. Here are my takeaways for the good that has come from this.

The Community spirit: The chalk drawings,  bear hunt, teddies in the windows and claps for the healthcare workers

Yesterday on my dog walk I met Gene and Ray, two elderly ladies who were sat in their mobility chairs on their front lawn, five doors up. I have lived in this street for 15 years and never met them before.  We stood 1.5 metres apart and had a chin wag.  Apparently, Gene bought the land back in 1974 and built her house.    "Back then" she says, “there were huge wild pigs with the biggest testicles you’ve ever seen roaming around”.  Ok Gene… Thanks for that.  

Everyone is outside with their families, walking the dogs, biking, hiking , people camping at home,  kids in the tent in the garden.

Families are spending more quality time together at home.   Puzzles are being done, Lego is being built, good old-fashioned board games have come back.  We are connecting more with the people who are important to us and realising very quickly those who are not.

Not spending money putting diesel/petrol in the car, I think it has been two weeks now since I have been to the servo.

The odd jobs around the house are finally getting done.  The towel rack has now been put back (after lying in the corner of the bathroom for 7 years). Windows are getting cleaned, cupboards have been sorted, old clothes have been donated.

I went past a Smith Family bin yesterday and it was chock a block with donations.

People are finally on top of their washing because we are all wearing the same pyjamas and track pants each day.

Thankfulness for the smallest things, a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of hand sanitiser, a bag of frozen broccoli, some spaghetti, who would have thunk it?   Even a bag of flour is now a rare commodity, there must be so many home chefs popping up.

Appreciating what beauty there is in the world. Having the time to actually sit down and watch the sunset and appreciate the sky turning gold, then pink then red and purple as the night settles in.  Same with the beautiful sunrises.  People in India can now see the Himalayas because the pollution has lifted.  Apparently, there are dolphins now swimming in the Mersey and the canals of Venice (I think that may be fake news, but I love it).

Virtual sports can still be fun.    The Grand National Horse race in the UK was a virtual race, that meant that no horses died this year. Racing Drivers are driving virtual cars with live commentating.  

The Pope has gone online and streamed his first mass.  One of the final bastions of tradition, Easter Sunday mass has now gone virtual.  The pope will be doing Tik Toks next.

Oldies are now embracing technology, mums are having fun with Tik Tok and grandparents are working out how to Zoom. In fact I have seen more friends for Friday night virtual drinks in the last two weeks than I have seen in the past two years.

People are being creative, the funniest You Tube and Facebook videos and parodies are being circulated. As someone who loves posting inappropriate memes,  I am in my element.

Not having to wear a bra and day drinking has to be the last benefit of this lockdown.   Don’t get me wrong, we will all need to detox, and get fit again when we come out of this but for the time being, lets embrace this time as a time of no rules, togetherness, kindness and belonging.

That is my take on the good that has come from this pandemic. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is so much bad to have come from it. As at 13^th April 2020, we are sitting on 113,513 Deaths ( According to ECDC) globally from this disease. 

To quote Max Erhmann in the brilliant piece of writing that is Desiderata: 

“With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.  

I asked you via social media, how Covid -19 has been a positive thing and you didn’t disappoint.   Here are your positives. Please comment on our blog if you have any more.

 “I get to drink more and wear bras less”. Angela.

 “I learned to relax – before I felt so guilty if I wasn’t working/cleaning/gardening/doing something with the kids, taking them to sport. I’ve learned that I can just be still again". Jenny.

 “I’ve just had a zoom party with school mums, in my trackies, with alcohol I already had in the cupboard. Saved so much money and I’m so much more comfortable.   Oh and I’ve napped two weekends in a row”. Nicole.

 “Finally got around to cleaning out the freezer- got rid of the red cabbage and apple that expired in 2011”. Kathleen.

 “Realised that my toxic work environment was making me ill.  Having time to catch up on things in the house without the pressure from myself. My partner is asking for jobs to do to help as he’s bored. My 2 cats are Satan’s spawn but really funny”.  Jill.

 “A break from humans is always a good idea for your mental health and happiness, loving the lock down”. Kate.

 “I work in a GP and this pandemic has brought out all the nasty trolls that should never venture out from under their bridges. 

One of my regular patients on my last day before the long weekend could see I wasn’t my usual self (just completely run into the ground from stress and abuse) he took the time to chat with me and then left and brought back a bouquet of flowers which made me nearly burst into tears. Moral- this pandemic has brought out the absolute worst in the already nasty people and the absolute best in the already good people”.  Sue

 “Trump seems to be less orange – perhaps he has changed his foundation”? Sarah.

 “I asked my 9-year-old this question and he said  I love it you’re not so busy and have time to play” Natalie.

 “Now we are in lockdown I’m having sex almost every day. Almost on a Monday, almost on a Tuesday lol” Lenny.

 “Got a puppy”. Peter

 “I’m storing fat for the winter in NZ, chocolate, chips, wine come at me. Amanda.

 “I still have to go to work (grateful that I can) and the roads are so clear of traffic. I’ve learnt all these new skills when it comes to using technology, though it’s been a baptism of fire having to change so much over to online so quickly. 

My two teenaged girls are so much closer now. I love hearing them chatting again like little mates. They’ve both been so busy with their own little networks it’s nice to see them connecting with each other. 

I’ve been more disciplined with daily walking and meditation because I’m aware this is going to be a long haul and we need to stay mentally well.  I’m spending way less money, which is lucky as we have way less money , but I’ve realised how much I wasted on crap I didn’t really need".  Belinda.

 I’ve discovered that my husband is not just my lover but my best friend, my kids are actually really cool dudes and if I jump in the pool every 30 mins, I don’t get sunburned and I don’t need to go inside to pee”. Janaki.

 “The new Facebook  groups I’ve joined – Inappropriate mums and bin isolation outing” Linda.

 “We are both working from home so having sex with your co-worker is acceptable”. Dianne.

 “I have at least 3 months off ironing my kids uniforms and schools have just cancelled fees for next term, I’m perfecting my hollandaise. Joanna.

 “Taking away all the pressures of balancing a busy lifestyle has significantly reduced my extreme anxiety. For the first time in 12 years I finally feel relaxed and it feels amazing”. Deanna.

"My appreciation and respect for our teachers has quadrupled – no way I could  put with asshole kids all day". Shauntae.

"Supporting small and local businesses keeps up connected as a local community. Drinks on the driveway, Sunday arvos from 5pm". Michelle

"I have gotten to know my 20-year-old son". Joanna.

"My school hating teenage boy that keeps getting suspended is happy and getting good grades in his schoolwork". Andrea

"My depressed, socially anxious, non-school attending trans daughter is loving spending time at home with the family without having to leave the house every day and is now spending more time doing schoolwork than she has for the past two years". Penny.

"I get together with friends once a week. We watch the same movie at the same time in our own homes and have a group messenger while we are watching. Best part of my week."  Amanda.

"People are learning to wash their hands properly, and no I’m not talking about the kids." Emma

"Noticing the little things that were probably drowned out by noise before....birds sing pretty loud actually! Thursday night has become our ‘out out’ night....we have 8pm everyone clapping for the NHS...super emotional then 8.15 Jays Facebook Virtual pub quiz...linking us from all over the globe. Sitting and chatting more with my daughter about ‘life’ and ‘stuff’" Cathy 

"I hated my fiancé for the first two weeks. Had many ways of killing him planned. Then it turned a corner – now all I want to do is bang him, not sure what’s going on lol" Emily.

"For me – employers realising that most office work can be done from home ( even if it’s been suggested multiple times and turned down) which means many employees are not spending hours each day driving to work and back and emissions will reduce."  Tanya

"Love the WE”VE had time (for my husband) to paint the whole inside of our house". Shona

"We are getting decent sleep ins every day. My hubby has been forced to rest more, lots of wine drinking, home cooking from scratch, gardening, connecting with my kids. On a global level, the decrease in CO2 emissions.   There are lots of positives from lockdown." Sara

"I have IBS, so being stuck at home is great. I can eat all the things I normally can’t without the fear of not being near a shitter".  Janelle.

"Online and free dance and exercise classes are abundant. Great if you are living in remote areas". Anna.

"The people that go on about cannabis and limes curing everything have gone quiet".  Ann

"No Sunday cloud feeling".  Tina.

"I’ve realised how good wine tastes in the spa. Been on to the other half to fill it up for ages. We are now in it for drinks every night and the wine tastes so much better.  Keeley.

"Being able to get up when my body says and not when my alarm clock does. I feel so much better as a result".  Chris.  

"I love that some of Australia’s biggest companies are re-tooling and making medical supplies.  Bundy Rum tooling up to make hand sanitiser". Leigh.

"Every single animal in every SPCA throughout New Zealand was adopted prior to lockdown – how good is that!" Kirsten.

"Jehovah’s witnesses don’t come here to annoy me anymore and I no longer seem to get any calls from Mumbai". Col.

"Working from home means you decide when it is drinks O’clock. And it is not limited to Friday". Stacey.

"I’ve always found spitting to be a disgusting habit. I’m loving that you can now be arrested for spitting" Jacqui.

"Anti-social people and introverts have an excuse not to leave the house and can relax their mins. You can binge watch your series guilt free and then start a new one.  As an essential worker I haven’t had much time off. I’ve met some fantastic people and some absolutely horrible ones too, Covid-19 has brought the worst out in a lot of people #Noonedeservesaserve".  Rhi

"I’ve started writing again". Sarah.

"I have time  to start all my projects that I’ve been wanting to do such as starting my garden, being more creative with arts and crafts and beginning of the process of starting my own business along with looking at going back to Uni". Laura

"Playing games with the family instead of being in different rooms every night".  Sue.

"The road toll for the Easter break will be very low". Katie.

"Because our cleaner can’t come our kids have finally stepped into the roles they were conceived for .... they now know how to clean toilets and showers and mop floors and clean mirrors and dust.  They are having the time of their lives    (we reward them with good food, lots of cuddles and computer time)  I think they are secretly proud of their new skills"   My house has never been tidier as everyone has realised the housework fairy can’t come either and have miraculously started tidying up after themselves (mostly).  

The birds are either singing in joy at the lack of cars and people or laughing at us all stuck at home (I'm picking the later)"   Cath.

My husband and I were both in the danger stages of complete burn out, both exhausted, not sleeping from stress, working long hours...We were both in a rough place and were taking it out on each other. Covid19 meant I lost my job and got to stay home and SLEEP. I rested. I'm recovering. It meant less shifts at the hospital for my husband...So now he's rested and doing a lot better too. We laugh together as we used to, no more mocking and sarcasm. This "forced rest" has been such a healing experience and a huge blessing  #ThankyouGod #Blessed

Janet 

"Stroking my cat, bleaching my hair blonde and growing a mullet. After that, recording some country and western. Tattoos next and possibly a 3-way gay marriage."  Tim.

Tiger King and all its associated Memes.