Lockdown has been trending on Twitter for a long while now and for obvious reasons we know why. On Sunday it was trending under the hashtag #thingsIwillmissaboutlockdown. And it got me thinking what I will miss most about our worldwide lockdown pandemic. But for most the lockdown is far from over. I am not oblivious to the fact the Lockdown has brought a whole load of negatives, which I will not dwell on here because I want this space to be a positive space. But there is no doubt the ease of the lockdown restrictions in the UK have got the nation split, frustrated and angry.
The NHS celebrated its 72nd Birthday the same weekend the pubs were reopened. And after months of standing at our front steps and balconies of our homes, clapping for the NHS and Keyworkers for doing great work for Covid19. We throw it all back in their faces by ignoring the social distancing over the weekend for a pint of beer, hummm.
I am not blind and have noticed in my own area , long before the lockdown restrictions were eased. More and more people were coming out and not giving a s**t about social distancing, face mask, gloves, nothing.
I just want to put it out there, I don’t know if we have been all released too soon. Because at some point we all have to come out. My fear is the nation are not being responsible and what we saw over the weekend in London Soho, when the Pubs were allowed to be open on the 4th of July from as early as 6 AM (say what) was absolutely f**king nuts. What I saw on social media was just insane! Social drinkers in their hundreds back to back! I mean, it may feel like we are out of the woods but we are most definitely NOT!
This shiz is scary because Leicester City is the first in the UK, to be put on a LOCAL LOCKDOWN! Yeah that’s right a local lockdown. So if this crazy unsocial distancing continues…then you bet your sweet arse that there will be a second wave of Corona and a continuous lockdown, probably forever. Which means no one gets to see anyone. No extended family, no friends, no outside partners simply no one.
So I am not celebrating lockdown freedom just yet but rather living on the edge of fear for a local lockdown and shaky job prospects for most.
BUT WHAT HAVE I LOVED DURING LOCKDOWN?…
PEACE AND QUITE
I am someone who enjoys their own company very much and in the words of Kelly Clarkson “doesn’t mean I’m lonely, when I am alone” and I was not alone. I am very fortunate to have not been alone but with my family during the lockdown, unlike so many others.
On my dog walks with our beautiful Maltese dog Luna. I very much enjoyed the peace and quite of no one around. It felt like the world was mine to enjoy, just me, myself and the dog. No sound of planes, trains, cars, people shouting just the sweet sound of birds chirping, mine and the dogs foot steps. The sound of silence much resembled a permanent Sunday morning and I loved it.
LOCKDOWN CLEAN STREETS
If there was something I was extremely thankful for during lockdown, it was the clean streets. Free from consumers rubbish the take away boxes, empty plastic and alcohol bottles. It really is very disturbing for me that there are people that think it’s okay and acceptable to just throw their rubbish onto the streets. I’ve seen people throw their rubbish from their cars as they drive on by.
I am tired of seeing people get up from their space in the park and leave their rubbish behind, as if it was there before they arrived or leave it behind to become someone else problem. It is simply simple, you bring the trash you take the damn trash. I just don’t get how people think it is alright to merge man made material amongst mother natures natural beauty. The Human race really need to step it up! For themselves and future generations.
CLEAR SKIES
During lockdown we were blessed with clear blue skies. No planes meant the birds and flies weren’t in competition for air space. No smoke pollution from factories and cars, no noise pollution from the planes, cars, trains, people and anything you could think of. Just bright sun, the sound of birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees and It did not stop there, at night you could actually see the stars in all there glory. If you are like me and you love everything about astronomy, then this would have been a real treat for you too.
NO CARS
As a car owner, key worker and the distance to work it meant and means I would drive to work (a catch 22 for pollution, sorry) but I found it was so lovely to be able to drive without the constant chasing up the road of a rude driver behind me. Or witnessing other drivers blatantly cutting other drivers up, overtaking two or three cars at a time (shocking) just to speed to a few cars ahead. No reckless drivers on the road that have no care or safety for other drivers on the road. No unnecessary ques of traffic or avoidable traffic incidents or accidents from other drivers reckless behaviour.
KINDNESS
Oh wow what a difference a lockdown can make, I know a lot of us, myself included have gone almost 3 months without seeing our loved ones, friends included. I hadn’t seen my boyfriend in that length of time and it was not as hard as I thought it would be thanks to WhatsApp, Zoom and the phone calls. But if we have to go through a second wave of a lockdown because people are not being safe amongst the rest of society, which means I don’t get to see my boyfriend for what will potentially be half of the year. I will be very pissed! Where is the kindness in our actions…
The NHS and other health officials around the world have been working their arses off to keep us safe and are still doing so! Risking their lives everyday to bring down the virus. Soooo, to see pictures of London Soho packed in the streets for casual social drinks over the weekend was a stretch too far. But having said that, only weeks ago we did have a mass protest for “Black Lives Matter” movement. I guess you can’t do right for doing wrong.
IS IT ALL OVER?…
Now that we are all out in the UK, it is so important to keep the kindness going. Be responsible for your own actions. Wear your mask, gloves, wash your hands. At this point I can’t tell you how long the social distancing will last for, with so many rapid changes and people feeling confused about it all and just giving up. All I can say is to be safe and keep others around you safe. Whilst I am trying to stay optimistic, I do personally think we are far from this lockdown pandemic virus.
How do you feel about Lockdown in general? wherever you are in the world.
As always let me know in the comments below : )
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Natoya
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