Okay, so we’ve just passed the six-month period, here in Manila, of being locked in our houses and forbidden to go out without masks, face-shields and a damn good reason. Yes, it is true that Manila has eased some of the restrictions around Covid-19 and we are now under what is known as GCQ (General Community Quarantine) which is the lowest of the various acronyms we’ve been under over the past six months. So, for some, life is (almost) returning to a “new normal”. We do still have a high infection and positivity rate in this country, so care is very much still required.
However, because my wife and I are both over the magical age of 60, none of these supposed freedoms actually apply to us. Under GCQ, if you’re 60 and above or under 21, you’re effectively still locked down. After six months of only leaving our subdivision once (I snuck over the road to get my hair cut one day – naughty me!) and actually only leaving our house and yard on maybe ten occasions over the last six months, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on how it’s all been and how we’ve coped.
However, because my wife and I are both over the magical age of 60, none of these supposed freedoms actually apply to us. Under GCQ, if you’re 60 and above or under 21, you’re effectively still locked down. After six months of only leaving our subdivision once (I snuck over the road to get my hair cut one day – naughty me!) and actually only leaving our house and yard on maybe ten occasions over the last six months, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on how it’s all been and how we’ve coped.
When the news of the lockdown first came, it was March 12th and the whole family was here celebrating my wife Thess’ 60th Birthday. As we watched the news, I think we all realized that life, as we knew it, was going to change. For me, it didn’t seem a big deal at the time. I mean, I work from home anyway – as a writer and an editor, as well as doing VA work and to be honest I didn’t go out a lot before Covid, anyway. For Thess, however, it was a body blow. She’s a financial consultant and most of her days were spent meeting with clients and potential clients, all over the Metro and clearly that had to cease. That raised the spectre of how we would cope financially but, as always, we approached it from the perspective of positivity and the certainty that the Universe would look out for us. Six months on and that belief has not been shaken in any way, shape, or form. We’re not making millions but we are surviving and surviving comfortably. When I look around me, I can see many families struggling to make ends meet and we remind ourselves constantly just how grateful we are for our circumstances. We have a roof over our head, we eat three meals a day and (thank God) we can still afford to run the air-con in the bedroom. What more can you want from life?
As I said, earlier, for me, it has just been just work, as normal. I write and when I’m fortunate I have client’s manuscripts to edit and proofread and when I don’t have any work, I read. Reading, for me, is and always will be my greatest pleasure in life. I so pity those people who have not discovered the joy of books. They open up way more worlds, for me, than any video game ever could. Life, for me, under Covid-19 really hasn’t been that different from life before this dreaded lurgy. Thess, on the other hand found herself with a lot of time on her hands. What to do? What to do? You can only clean the house so many times until it is so spotless you could eat off the floor – right? Thess has rediscovered her deep love of gardening. Now, the fact that we have perhaps just 2 square metres of land, at the front of our house, hasn’t hampered her green tendencies at all and every available space is now filled with pots and home-made containers filled with a wide variety of green-stuff. I have no idea what she is trying to grow out there and to be perfectly honest, even less interest. My “green thumb” must have been chopped off years ago. But what I do notice is the sheer joy and pleasure she gets from planting, nurturing, celebrating the successes and crying over the failures. I am in awe of the dedication she gives to these plants – the love and the care. Woe and betide if you are a snail or a caterpillar that fancies some lunch on Thess’ plants. I kid you not, she is out there at all hours of the day and night, scouring the area for creepie crawlies that might damages her precious babies. I have suggested she set up a tent out there and sleep beside them or install CCTV so she can identify the miscreants and bring them to justice. That suggestion, I might add, was met with a slap around the ears. Her devotion to her plants has had an unexpected side effect for me, though. Gardening brings her such joy and happiness it spreads to everything she does around the house. I can honestly say, since she took up gardening, our house has been happier, more joyful and full of laughter. That alone gets my wholehearted support for her venture.
As I said, earlier, for me, it has just been just work, as normal. I write and when I’m fortunate I have client’s manuscripts to edit and proofread and when I don’t have any work, I read. Reading, for me, is and always will be my greatest pleasure in life. I so pity those people who have not discovered the joy of books. They open up way more worlds, for me, than any video game ever could. Life, for me, under Covid-19 really hasn’t been that different from life before this dreaded lurgy. Thess, on the other hand found herself with a lot of time on her hands. What to do? What to do? You can only clean the house so many times until it is so spotless you could eat off the floor – right? Thess has rediscovered her deep love of gardening. Now, the fact that we have perhaps just 2 square metres of land, at the front of our house, hasn’t hampered her green tendencies at all and every available space is now filled with pots and home-made containers filled with a wide variety of green-stuff. I have no idea what she is trying to grow out there and to be perfectly honest, even less interest. My “green thumb” must have been chopped off years ago. But what I do notice is the sheer joy and pleasure she gets from planting, nurturing, celebrating the successes and crying over the failures. I am in awe of the dedication she gives to these plants – the love and the care. Woe and betide if you are a snail or a caterpillar that fancies some lunch on Thess’ plants. I kid you not, she is out there at all hours of the day and night, scouring the area for creepie crawlies that might damages her precious babies. I have suggested she set up a tent out there and sleep beside them or install CCTV so she can identify the miscreants and bring them to justice. That suggestion, I might add, was met with a slap around the ears. Her devotion to her plants has had an unexpected side effect for me, though. Gardening brings her such joy and happiness it spreads to everything she does around the house. I can honestly say, since she took up gardening, our house has been happier, more joyful and full of laughter. That alone gets my wholehearted support for her venture.
I’ve noted others have also found ways to keep occupied and even make money. My Facebook feed is full of people offering something for sale – their cooking, their baking, their plants, second-hand clothes, even appliances that used to be sold by the malls are now being sold by individuals on Facebook. We have become a nation of resellers and if it keeps people afloat financially, emotionally and mentally, then all I can say is – more power to them!
Yes, lockdown has had its trials. I miss the grandkids something wicked, I miss our big, family, weekend outings and with Christmas just around the corner, we desperately want to visit Thess’ papang in the Province (he’s 84 now!). But it has also had its bonuses. Our marriage is closer, tighter and more loving than it was before, we are safe, we are healthy and we are alive. We couldn’t realistically ask for much more in these troubled times.
My number one advice to everyone struggling through lockdown is to focus on the positive. We have two sayings: “This too shall pass” and “Something wonderful is just about to happen.” Both of these ideas always give us hope and keep us positive.
Stay safe – Stay happy and Stay alive!
Yes, lockdown has had its trials. I miss the grandkids something wicked, I miss our big, family, weekend outings and with Christmas just around the corner, we desperately want to visit Thess’ papang in the Province (he’s 84 now!). But it has also had its bonuses. Our marriage is closer, tighter and more loving than it was before, we are safe, we are healthy and we are alive. We couldn’t realistically ask for much more in these troubled times.
My number one advice to everyone struggling through lockdown is to focus on the positive. We have two sayings: “This too shall pass” and “Something wonderful is just about to happen.” Both of these ideas always give us hope and keep us positive.
Stay safe – Stay happy and Stay alive!
Till Next Time - Have a Wonderful, Peace-Filled Day!
CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!
EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND SPREAD THE LOVE!
CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE READER AT A TIME
EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND SPREAD THE LOVE!
CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE READER AT A TIME
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