Like we used to be...

I think we will all agree that we are in unprecedented times. There's no getting away from that. People have died, more people will die and that's tragic and impossibly difficult for everyone connected with those deaths. We may soon be in lockdown and it's a big, scary, worrying prospect.

Despite the media hype and the global doom-mongering, I wonder what this is all for and, in those moments when I'm not having a wobble about it all, I genuinely can't help but see the positives - and I really believe there are many. I feel as if Mother Nature knew that the operating system had stalled, and I think she has therefore turned it off and back on again - the universal answer to anything that has stopped working successfully.

I think we are now being forced to look at how we've been living, not just individually or societally, but as a species. For years, we have been living in excess - materialistically, financially and in every other way imaginable.

Already, we can see undeniable evidence that a sense of community and support has resurged all around us. People are helping each other, looking out for each other, supporting each other, being kind to each other engaging in meaningful contact.
Like we used to.

Businesses and companies have suddenly put the wellbeing of their customers first, rather than exclusively looking for ways to exploit more profit out of us.
Like they used to.

The supermarkets are no longer open and available for 24hrs a day. They are now operating more realistic, sensible opening hours, to ensure full provision and to allow the supply chain to work at optimum level.
Like they used to.

TV soap operas are back to screening just two episodes per week.
Like they used to.

Nature is flourishing, very quickly. The fish are populating the rivers, the birds are singing their little hearts out and the animals are coming out of the woods.
Like they used to.

We're suddenly aware of the truly important people who actually keep society buoyant & functioning - the shop assistants, the car mechanics, the milkmen, the plumbers, the delivery drivers; the medical staff and caregivers - the doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff, the therapists and herbalists, the care home staff and community support workers who support and ensure the wellbeing of millions of people on a daily basis. We now see what they do, how important they are and how much we need and appreciate them.
Like we used to.

The focus is being forced to shift from global profiteering to personal wellbeing and the quality of life of the worlds' citizens.
Like we used to.

We are in unprecedented times. There's no getting away from that - but please, try and see the numberless positive things happening around you and, when this is all over, let's please try to hold on to them as we all move forward into a new future.

Let's all, please, keep these positive changes going and really start to take care of each other.

Like we used to.