No one could have predicted 2020, and the storm it has brewed up. A worldwide situation turned life upside down and made us realise how easily we took so many basic things for granted. For me, one of the hardest parts of this situation has been not being able to see my family and friends as easily as I did with life pre-lockdown and pre this situation.
I am a very sociable person, and as much as I love my home comforts, socialising, getting out and interacting with others was a big part of my life, but not just mine. I pulled Spud out of school nearly two years ago now to home educate him, and so socialising became even more important as the day to day socialising at school was no more.
Our home education groups stopped, just like most things around the world, and online interaction became more important than ever. As much as I think of the world without technology, during this situation it's become a lifeline for many, and I couldn't imagine riding the current storm without technology and much more. So here are the lessons I have learnt during the lockdown.
I will be more considerate of invites.
In the past, it's been easy to find excuses to not attend events I have not been 100% keen on, be it with family, friends, education or work. It may have been a BBQ I have turned down because I have fears of my Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but next time I'm invited to a BBQ (when the world is safe!) I will happily attend, even if a single piece of food doesn't touch my lips. I'll attend for the memories and the fun, spending time with precious ones such as family or friends.
I will go abroad again!
I have not been abroad since I was a child, and didn't really have any desire to go abroad. Now this situation has happened, I can't wait until the world is safe again, because I will be saving up to go abroad somewhere! As much as I love our UK holidays and mini-breaks, I want to see the world a bit more. Being alive during this situation has taught me life is too short.
Get rid of negativity.
With the last part of my previous paragraph in mind 'life is too short', I now know I need to cut ties with negative people. As if the world isn't negative enough without negative people constantly filling your ears with rubbish. I get it's hard to cut off close ones who are negative, but sometimes it's good to take a step back. I am now trying to limit contact with anyone I view as more negative than positive. People who are full of drama and negativity wear even the most positive of people down, and there is only so much you can listen to!
Every worker matters!
I have never judged anyone for their work, instead, I value and respect anyone who does work, and I have always respected those with work jobs such as cleaning, dustbin men etc, but wow did this situation open my eyes to how much these workers mean to us all, and lots of others too! Take supermarket workers for example, I have worked retail a few times before in my life, never at a supermarket mind you, but how important have supermarket workers become? The reality is, they should always have been important to me, and everyone else, but I think it's made a lot of us realise how important every worker is, and how people with the lesser preferred jobs kept us going during these strange, challenging and unknown times!
How important my loved ones are.
I have always known this one, but during this situation, I have made it a lesson learnt to spend more time with those I truly love, such as family and 1-2 friends. Family and friends are so important, and again, I have always known that, but I can't imagine how I could have got through these difficult times without other adult interactions to keep me going. Being a parent is the hardest job of your life, you want to protect your children but you also need to talk about things too, so having other adults to interact with has been a lifeline.
There are many more lessons I have learnt for sure, but I will be here all day writing about them. Have you learnt any lessons during this strange time we find ourselves in?
Until next time,
Jada x
