Lockdown - Grieved, Peeved, Yet Somewhat Relieved

Stay at home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives.

Weeks have passed and few story lines remain that do not repeat this frightful slogan. Having completed my morning run, sitting in my garden sipping some sweet Pineapple Rattler and theorising my next 'must do' aimed at satisfying my incessant craving for procrastination, I stumbled upon the perfect answer, START A BLOG! The sun glaring down like my Mother's eyes when she discovers I am yet to do any work upon the 5th time of asking, mind racing with all the posts I could make and the endless possibility to escape into a world unlike my current reality. I realised my first move, theoretical of course... we are not allowed to go anywhere... I knew that I needed to start with a note to my future self.

To me:

Yes, you may be experiencing a mid-life crisis; dwelling on years of wasted potential, weeping at your pitiful income, watching numerous self-help videos in an effort to stay sane, but get your act together! A microwave meal is not fine dining. Go have a shower, shave whatever that monstrosity is off of your face, and go do whatever makes you happy.

Regards,
The you who wasn't allowed to leave the house.

Perfect! Now with that out of the way, onto my first post - nicknamed the 'lockdown special' - though such a jolly term seemed out of place in the title meaning you have to deal with my witty use of rhyme instead.

The grieved aspect goes without saying so we will skip on over to peeved in the hope that I may offer temporary escape from your own realities by making light of mine.

Peeved:

Okay, so we all know by now that lockdown is a bit of a pain. The implementation of a police state - the likes of which unheard of in times of peace - has meant that we can no longer go on those late night jollies to Tesco (other supermarkets exist, Tesco is just closest to me) for ice cream and alcohol. I haven't been properly able to see my father for nearly three months due to being away for Uni and then being locked down at my Mother's house. Why not stay at Uni you may ask? Firstly, Uni told us not to. Secondly, free food. Simple.

That being said, I have also encountered some Distinctively Bland circumstances. Firstly, somehow in the midst of a Coronavirus pandemic... I caught mumps.

Yep, I blew up like a balloon and struggled to walk for over a week. Fresh from my recovery I 'celebrated' my birthday during lockdown. It wasn't much, a cheeky BBQ and a few beers to wash away my misfortune. In fact, my Mother's spine suddenly decided to go for a walk during the night before my birthday leaving her, ironically, virtually immobile. It wasn't all doom and gloom, at least my step-dad decided to wait a couple of days before he also injured himself and left me, the only able person left in the house, to do all the cooking. A wonderful roast it was too! I keep saying I should cook nice food more... then I remember my degree and the spaghetti bag is promptly drawn from the cupboard.

Speaking of my degree, yes I still have exams and coursework. When the world seemed to pause, the higher education system quickly found a way of serving their capitalist overlords whilst effectively 'compromising' with the student population. Of course I am referring to the 'no-detriment' policy in which us students still do our exams, which we are told mean literally nothing, just so that the Uni can maintain a veil of legitimacy and avoid having to refund any tuition fees. Meanwhile, I still have to pay rent (thankfully I was fortunate enough to get a rent reduction from my wonderful landlady), I am still paying the same amount for bills (I am not living in the house and so cannot provide meter readings), and the University hasn't refunded a penny despite missing over a month due to strike action and now the disruption caused by Coronavirus. Heck, my module supervisor hasn't responded to my emails since February! I hope you are okay, Nick!... Thank god for 'no-detriment' though right... ha.

Relieved:

Now, despite what a quick search online... or the first half of this blog post... might suggest. There are positives to the situation.

 - The Environment! 

Woah... imagine if someone walked over you millions of times a day and then, suddenly, as if by magic, they stopped. Personally, after a quick look around to see if the coast was clear, I would take one heck of a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mother Nature has done the same, we have all seen the clear canals of Venice, the Himalayas becoming Hima-HEY-as after becoming visible in parts of India, even my back garden seems uncharacteristically fresh at the minute.

 - Priorities! 

We all know the struggles of the daily grind, yes students can have jobs too. We wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, watch tv, go to bed. Now, if this sounds like you, have you noticed yourself paying a little bit more attention to certain things? For me its been the sound of birds and the incredible taste of a good old slice of toast. Spending so much time in our houses has inevitably forced us to see the beauty in something we may have not even noticed before. I miss my friends, my family, I miss going to the beach or enjoying a round of golf. I don't miss going to work! This time to ground ourselves and focus on what matters most is guaranteed to result in quality of life improvements once this is all over.

 - Employment! 

Having just mentioned quality of life improvements, the issue of potentially millions losing their jobs may sound somewhat controversial. That's because it is. But stay with me here... those companies who have set up the infrastructure in order to accommodate continued workload in the face of the pandemic no longer have an excuse to say that their employees cannot work from home. Yes they can. Because they did. Those politicians who said they couldn't find money to fund the NHS? Well now they can. Because they did. I completely understand that those who have lost their jobs may not be able to relate to this argument but once new positions become available as normality returns, I am incredibly excited to see how the world of work finally embraces the modern world.

 - New hobbies!

I don't know about you, but I have spent money on some weird stuff this lockdown.

I am now a bonsai and chilli planting extraordinaire (in the making).

My crafting ability has come on leaps and bounds with the addition of a pyrography pen.

I regressed by about 10 years and spent a day colouring in a magical dolphin.

Not to mention, I bought a Fitbit which tracks my quality of sleep as well as my daily exercise and heart rate because I suddenly decided I needed it - 'Conditioned Athlete' right here by the way.

How could I have possibly found the time to do all this if not for lockdown! Now about that degree...

Conclusion

So you made it all the way down to the end of my first blog post, I must have done something right - or wrong depending on whether you skipped right to the conclusion like I always do when looking at a tech review. Regardless, I have learned a lot from this pandemic and I know for a fact that 40-year-old me has nothing he can complain about. Health, family, and friends are the pillar upon which my happiness derives and I have been reminded the significance of all three. I believe there is greater hope for the future after lockdown and am excited to see what is to come. Stay safe.