I placed what will probably be my last click ‘n’ collect grocery order 8 days ago with today being the first available time slot. Dave is our designated Grocery Shopper (only 1 per household) so he ventured out into the wild to pick up the goods.
The queue was uniformly spaced 2 metres apart, snaking the length of the carpark as people waited to be let into the store, one-in-one-out. I asked if it felt good to be out there, doing something quite normal? His reply was that it was the most abnormal experience ever. The shoppers were all pleasant and calm, lots of face masks, but so subdued and quiet. He said you felt stupid if you had to back-track through the store having forgotten something as you knew so many people were waiting outside and the pressure to hurry felt immense. The shelves were mostly well-stocked, with limitations on obvious things – luckily Dave and I haven’t eaten bread in months (years for me) so what I have purchased is lasting well for the boys.
Though it was great to see the checkout staff protected behind perspex screens, it was yet another, very visible reminder that something is terribly amiss both here and all over the world.
Today I worry about the paranoia that is quietly peeking through the curtains now and then. Dave carried some groceries inside in a banana box and set them on the kitchen bench and I felt my stomach do a nasty flip-flop. Who knew what germs and viruses were crawling all over that box which had flown around the world from who knew where? I broke it down as quickly as possible and disinfected the bench.
How do we come back from that aspect of a lockdown and virus that has brought the world to its knees? How do we return to normal after we have been walking past our friends in the street, giving them a 2m wide berth whilst simultaneously desperately wanting their familiar companionship?
The boys once again had a really good day, they seem to be coping well so far – ON DAY TWO lol. They both did some schooling, played basketball, jumped on the tramp together, we went for a walk, Nixon once each with Dave and I. The marvels of technology are definitely helping, I did a Gravity class with my friends from F45 via ZOOM. Workouts on your own are self-flagellation at it’s finest but seeing everyone suffer together via a live feed somehow helps. And we’ve had coffee chats and Houseparty Friday drinks with our local friends………………..
We’re trying.
But it’s all just like living in a sci-fi novel that you can’t quite believe you are reading.
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