Hello, it's me again!
It's now been 2 days since that announcement from Bo-Jo sending all our hopes of a vaguely "normal" family Christmas flying away faster that we could say 'beige buffet'. The nation was left reeling; bags were to be unpacked, plans unplanned as the reality of a lonelier Christmas hung over us like that Christmas Day 3pm indigestion.
However, while some faced the reality, some decided to blindly panic themselves all the way to the nearest train station. Sheer stunned silence from the announcement turned to mayhem with scenes from St Pancreas a truly unbelieve sight to behold, while other stations including Euston and Paddington were completely out of tickets by 7pm.
To those of you 'covidiots' I believe I speak for many when I say a hearty 'F you'.
Yes, I've leapt into profanity 2 paragraphs in- it's escalated quickly. But much like Covid, my sheer frustration has mutated into anger pretty quickly. The audacity of these people to think in such a selfish individualistic way. Millions are now facing a drastically different- even lonely- Christmas because of the virus growing faster than before and all these people have done is spread it more. I sincerely hope that when another lockdown comes in the new year, that it is these people we hold responsible- those selfish enough to put lives directly at risk for their own gain. It makes a mockery of the efforts and sacrifices made by millions already in 2020. I'm also willing to bet that it's these exact people who will claim they don't feel safe at work due to Covid or blame Boris for another lockdown. Its these people who have now and probably have all year thought they could pick and choose what rules they should follow.
Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have thoughts of breaking the rules. We are all human and the flight or fight within us is telling us-screaming at us- to run. But acting upon it is another thing. This Christmas was going to always be different in the 'Mulie' household. We'd originally planned to have all the family over. That soon changed with a depressing sense of inevitability as we got closer to Christmas with the tiers still in force. We then planned to have a Boris special of "Smaller Christmas" of just me, my mum, Tilly the dog, Matthew and his mum. Then fast forward to December 19th and suddenly my mum was counted out. I won't lie, me and Matthew both thought about sneaking over to Aylesbury to pick her up but after a frank conversation we thought better of it. My mum works for the NHS and tests twice a week for her job and we thought we could use that as a justification. Thinking back this was the desperation talking. I hate the thought of my mum being alone, but what I hate more is the idea of giving or getting Covid. I couldn't live with myself if that had happened. I also know I'm not any more important than anyone else facing a lonelier Christmas this year so how could I sleep at night knowing I'd illegally got something others only wished they could have?
This year has been a shit one. Covid has buckled businesses and industries while bringing others to their knees. It has separated families and friends and has now robbed us of a Christmas we'd all hoped for. But while 2020 may be a year we'd all rather forget, how about we look at some of the positives? (not that kind)
- Furlough. Love it or hate it, it's no doubt saved countless jobs. It certainly saved mine! Working in the travel industry has been a head-spinner. But while furlough was a nerve-wracking time for some, for others including me, it came as a chance to hit the reset button. To do those little bits in the house you'd been putting off, to take up a hobby, binge watch that series you never had time for or even to learn something new. I went on long 6-mile walks in the sunshine and for that time I felt relaxed. As someone with anxiety, having this time to go for walks and to appreciate what I had was amazing.
- Time. Admit it, after all those hours spent commuting and living life in the fast lane trying to escape that dreaded boredom 2020 was a chance to take a deep breath. There is always this idea that going out burning the candle at both ends is desirable with social media chaining us to the notion that if you're not constantly pursuing something, your life is boring. I believe this is so toxic. Here it is loud and clear in case you need it today: DOING NOTHING IS PERFECTLY NORMAL. This year in its halting nature made us look at ourselves more and be more understanding of each other. Everyone had to stay at home. We may not have all been in the same boat, but everyone was weathering the same storm. There was no social media life contest, the "new normal"* rendered everyone finding ways to cope indoors and it united people. Whether it was PE with Joe or a Zoom family quiz, we scrapped the fast lane and found a way to appreciate what we had.
*2020 also brought us some new vocabulary that I for one would rather never hear again. "New normal" is one of them. And the one beginning with U and ending in D. *shudder*
A new future. Ok, so the future looks a bit bleak at the moment. But if you just close those news apps for a second and think about your future. The sacrifices we're making now at Christmas are going to allow us to celebrate even harder in the years to come. We'll look back at Christmas 2020 and celebrate our future Christmases with that extra gusto. Let's not forget those who have had babies this year. They went through the most vulnerable time of their lives, at the scariest time of ours and some of them had to go through that alone. I can't imagine how that must have felt. A shout out to my friend Jasmine whose little boy Tommy is now a happy (and gorgeous) 6 month old. They are going to grow up and be told about the year of their birth and their parents will always have that legacy. What's been your proudest moment of the year? What are you grateful for? While the world has its knickers in a twist, take 10 minutes to write a list of what you're grateful for.
Here's mine (in no particular order):
- My house
- Matthew
- My family
- My bed
- I have a job (which after this year is quite something)
- My TV's
- My friends
- Tilly
- My health (which again, is really something special)
- Central heating (Now more than ever, I reminisce on those summer walks and I remember being so hot one day in the house, I wore a swimming costume all day- sorry for the imagery)
- Streaming services and the internet (Let's face it, none of us could've done this without them!)
Now keep that list. Have it to hand at the next tier-jerking press conference. This is a shit time for everybody. For those who have to sacrifice seeing family this year (physically at least), know that you're not alone. Keep in contact. While the road to genuine normality seems long, it'll be so worth it. Nothing lasts forever.
I'm off now for Christmas, but I'll be back again in 2021 as we all take a collective deep breath in as we see what's in store. Oh, before I go, Merry Christmas. Stay safe, stay sane.
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