Good Morning everyone
I hope you’re all keeping safe and sane! It feels like forever since lockdown started, but also feels like its gone pretty quickly. Does anyone else agree with me? Whilst it feels like decades since I last stepped in the office, or in a restaurant, I also feel like all this time has gone so quickly, and before I know it the days are over! Where does all that time go?
As we are starting to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, and although we still have quite a way to go before things are even relatively normal again, I’ve been spending the last few days reflecting on lockdown and what I’ve learnt from it. Whilst this whole thing has been a really crappy situation, I feel like we have all learnt something that we can take away from this which will transform us all into better people in the long run.
First of all, the amount of compassion and love I have seen people spreading is so uplifting, and we should feel very lucky to live in such amazing communities where everyone wants to do whatever they can to help each other! We are also extremely lucky to have such a fantastic health care service in place, that are doing their utmost best to save lives, that really is something to be grateful for!
In fact when you think about it… although so much has been taken from us, we really do have so much to be grateful for! We still have food on our table, freedom to exercise, fantastic advanced technology that allows us to keep In touch with our loved ones….
I also think that a lot of us have had time to take up new skills and hobbies that we didn’t have time for before. I know that I’ve had much more time to read, something I LOVE doing but never usually have time for! And while I miss the gym like crazy, I’ve discovered so many new home workouts and exercises to try out and have fun with. I’ve also had time to come back to Blogging, something I am truly passionate about. So whilst there is a lot of doom and gloom, there is some positives involved.
Perhaps you finally got round to trying that recipe you wanted to try for ages but just didn’t have the time for, or maybe you completed 5k, something you never thought you would do! Maybe you got round to cleaning out that spare room, which somehow turned into a storage room (oops). Maybe you got to spend more quality time with your children, and perhaps even learnt something yourself whilst home schooling? Whatever your achievements are, no matter how small, I believe that lockdown has helped us appreciate the little things in life a whole lot more, and has almost reset the humanity in us… something that really needed to happen.
So whilst this doesn’t make up for the thousands of people who have died and suffered, there is always something positive to take out of a very sad situation.
Here are the top 4 things that I am going to take from lockdown…
How much we take human interaction for granted
As much as people may call me an Extrovert, I really am truly an introvert. I’m not the biggest social bunny, I’m not a huge fan of meeting new people and I certainly am not fond of crowded spaces. When I say I miss human interaction, I by no means mean cramming myself into a train full of people on my way home from work, or standing around in a crowded bar looking for my mates who disappeared 5 minutes ago, but I mean human interaction with the people I love – My family and friends. I miss seeing my best friend pretty much every weekend, and going out on shopping trips and lunch dates. I miss being able to sleep next to my boyfriend every night, and I miss being able to see my family every week.
I am very lucky to be part of a large family, and am very blessed that they live nearby (mostly) and are able to come over for a family dinner every Wednesday, something that I really used to take for granted before lockdown. But because I’ve now had all these social interactions taken away from me, I know how important they are and how lucky I was to be able to have them, so I definitely won’t be taking them for granted again!
As humans we often forget how important all of these little moments are, but I’m hoping that this lockdown has reset our minds to make us realise that actually, they’re very important.
How much material things REALLY don’t matter
I’ve never been too much of a materialistic person, I’d much rather save my money than waste it on silly things. However that being said, I do like to treat myself with clothes, makeup, and rubbish I really don’t need from time to time. And whilst I will probably always spend some of my cash on things I don’t need, I have also come to the realisation that material possessions really don’t matter!
I feel like a lot of people from my generation are often quite brainwashed from what they see on social media (me included). What people are wearing, where people are going, how much money they are spending… But when you really think about it, do those things really matter? Should we really be judging people by what they’re wearing, or what make up products they’re using? NO
Lockdown has stripped us down to our simpler forms, the many days spent with no make up in PJ’s and Trackies, where we entertain ourselves with creativity. Situations like this make us realise that what you have really doesn’t matter as much as we may think it does!
How wonderful nature really is
I am sure this is something we have all realised over the last few months. Going out for walks and runs each day has made me realise what a beautiful world we live in, and has made me much more connected with nature.
Over the last few years I have become so disconnected with the Earth and with Nature that it has been really nice to reset this, and begin to love the Planet again. I can already feel myself making more conscious decisions.
Unfortunately as humans, we are the most destructive species to this planet, and whilst I know it won’t last forever (and of course no one wants to be in lockdown forever), it has been nice to see global warming decrease, and to see nature come back to life again.
I’m hoping that people will begin to see what is happening as a positive, and begin to make more sustainable choices when we go back to our “new normal”. This is the only earth we have, so we have the responsibility to look after it.
How much other people’s passions mean to them
Over the last few months I have discovered amazing things about the individuals I have on my social media platforms. People have really been beginning to showcase their talents! I have friends who do hair and make up who have been having fun creating new looks and sharing them. I have friends who I never even knew could draw, but actually turn out to be amazing artists!
I follow people who I never knew has such amazing voices, or could mix a song on a DJ deck. People who I never knew could do such cool tricks on a scooter, or turn out to be an amazing dancer!
It has been so nice to see people showcasing their passions and talents online. It really brightens up social media, and makes us learn so much about people. So if you have a talent you’re hiding away, now’s the time to show it!
There are other things I have learnt from lockdown, more personal things I have learnt about myself too, but I decided to share the things that I believe a lot of us can relate on. Maybe you will be taking something completely different away, but I do believe that we have all learnt to become more grateful for the little things in life.
I hope you have a fantastic day, whatever it is you’re doing, and I will see you all soon!
Lots of Love
Collette X