There’s this book called Love in the time of cholera. If you haven’t already read it, do. I won’t tell you what it’s about, but there is a hint in the title. As for me, I had already realized that life hasn’t changed all that much for me in this time of Corona, with the ongoing lockdown and isolation, but an Italian friend’s question got me thinking about why that is the case.
There are several reasons: having no family nearby apart from my children and few close friends – those who are close live far away, if you see what I mean? – has meant that I’m used to spending my time on my own, and/or interacting with people via WhatsApp.
Having worked part time ever since the children were born I have become accustomed to spending a lot of time at home, and I am in the habit of scheduling my time to make sure that I get things done, so even before the lockdown my day would consist of an hour of French, reading, piano, gardening, workout, drawing, etcetera. I have a treadmill in the garage and a basement gym, so I don’t have to leave home for my fitness, and the garden provides plenty of opportunity for outdoor activities and fresh air – if anything I’m grateful that I now have enough time to keep up with the weeds… All this means that my daily routine hasn’t changed – on the contrary, it has meant I was readily equipped with a roadmap for how to navigate lockdown.
As for shopping, I’m happy to do most of it online. Groceries are a bit of a hassle to buy without venturing to the store, but I tend to buy in bulk anyway, so nothing has really changed in that regard, apart from there being fewer people (and goods) in Delhaize. I bake my own bread, so the sudden Belgian interest in yeast and flour is the only real drawback of the hoarding that I have experienced so far.
I do tend to travel a great deal, and that has obviously been interrupted by recent developments, but part of me rejoices in the fact that mass tourism is presently interrupted, and besides, spring has sprung and it’s lovely to behold in the little paradise thatnis my backyard – birds are scoping out nesting sites, sleepy bumble bees have started to appear, and every branch is covered with the first coating of tender green that heralds sun, warmth and growth. There’s wonder and wisdom everywhere if you are willing to look for it.
It might sound depressing, as another Italian friend put it, but I honestly think my lifestyle is quite harmonious. If anything – and I don’t want to sound flippant here; people are dying from Covid-19, after all – I think the world would be a much better place if we practiced lockdown regularly. Let’s close Earth for business a couple of months per year. Let people concentrate on what is really important in life – happiness, relationships, tending to the earth (worshipping it, as the Danes would have it) and all living things instead of chasing wealth and power. It would be a better world for all.