“No Person Is an Island, And We Are Created to Live as a Community, Interacting With and Helping One Another.”
Faces of Quarantine, One Virus Many Faces: Meg Moseley
So far, during the coronavirus outbreak, I have kept very well and feel truly blessed. Due to the excellent weather, I have had time to enjoy the garden and do several jobs I would not otherwise have done. I painted and coated the garden gates and fences and also cleared some cupboards of things we have not used for a long time. After over a year of neglecting bike riding, I have started again nearly every other day, interspersing cycling with long walks. We are fortunate to live in walking or cycling distance of the lovely countryside which I have been able to enjoy. The trees, shrubs, and flowers have burst into life again during this time. Also, the bird songs are more apparent with less traffic and pollution.
I especially enjoy cycling with my husband to a viewpoint and appreciate the beautiful river Severn, which is a tidal river and have also walked along its banks. We have also started to grow vegetables in our garden again. Our town is now a quieter place with less traffic and people about it, and so it’s a pleasure to walk on less busy paths and roads. Neighbors have sometimes provided meals for us, including an Indian chef who recently appeared on BBC TV cooking programs! She provides meals for us once a week. Her husband kindly does shopping for us, and so does a police couple who live nearby. I also do quite a lot of baking and thus share some of it with others who live alone, as well as our great shopper neighbors. I have come to realize, even more than before, that no person is an island and that we are created to live as a community, interacting with and helping one another.
As a pensioner, the lockdown has not significantly affected my life. As a friendly person, I miss seeing my friends and my family. However, with the sunny weather, we are able to enjoy morning coffee in our garden with two immediate neighbors who are living alone, and both are vulnerable because of medical issues. We ensure that we maintain social distancing as recommended. Another thing I miss is my weekly visit to the hairdresser to blow dry and cut my hair. Before this is over, there will be a lot of people with long hair (and maybe grey too) as all the salons are closed as well! I also miss our Church’s Sunday service and midweek ladies bible study.
My biggest concern is the number of daily deaths that are currently still high in hospitals and care homes. I feel sad about people who die alone and cannot see family who would like to be there to say goodbye. The thing that shocked me is that some people, albeit only a minority, have been selfish during the pandemic. These people have hoarded food and other items, clearing supermarket shelves before the actual lockdown and not observing the government guidelines regarding social distancing.
I think that some things will change for the better after the virus has been defeated. Hopefully, the local community spirit will continue. The VE 75th-anniversary commemorations (World War II Victory in Europe) are taking place today as I write this. Our local community will be celebrating and remembering by meeting together this afternoon for tea and cakes on our front lawns. The one big lesson I have learned is the importance of KINDNESS.
My favorite lockdown story is of a veteran called Tom Moore, who is 100 years old. He set out to walk around his back yard 100 times before his 100th birthday and to raise a £1000 for the national health service. He struggled around using a walking frame but persevered. The story caught the admiration and imagination of the nation, and so far, over £30 million has been raised. The saddest story I heard was of the doctor who initially blew the whistle regarding the virus in Wuhan and was barred from warning people. I heard, but I can’t verify this, that he was moved to a coronavirus ward as a punishment, so he caught the virus and eventually died leaving behind a heavily pregnant wife and young child.
Once the lockdown is over, my priority will be to visit my son and his family, who moved into a house about 100 miles away just before the lockdown was imposed. So we haven’t been able to visit them. And before that, I will definitely get my hair done!! I will also have a party for our little community to celebrate the end of the lockdown.
My faith as a committed Christian of some 65 years has helped me to cope with what is happening around us. Over the years I have gradually learned to trust God in every situation in my life — both the ups and downs. Apart from my faith in God, which I know many will not share, I am staying grounded by optimism and hope from past history. The history of the world shows us that there are downs often followed by ups, so I am sure that some degree of slow recovery will eventually take place.
My message to the rest of the world would be to try to count the blessings at such a time as this, and to have hope that it will come to pass, although things are not likely to get back to normal (whatever that is) for a very long time. Those who remain healthy and those that have recovered will be very thankful for our skilled health workers, and we should continue to pray for health, strength, and optimism for our family and friends.
