OK, I said it – We are enjoying the lockdown and don’t feel guilty. There are things we miss (Thomas is even missing school!), but there are also lots of positives.
While you are reading this take a listen to this song and try not to smile:
Smile – One World: Together At Home
It’s true, the world is a very different place right now.
• Tens of thousands of people from all around the world have already died, many more have become seriously ill and all because of a virus we knew nothing about just 3 months ago.
• The NHS looks like it’s narrowly avoided being overwhelmed.
• People are stuck in their homes during the lockdown – the vulnerable and people who live alone. They have no-one to speak to, they can’t meet up with friends and family other than online.
How come we’re enjoying ourselves when all this is going on?
The key is that we built a plan on the first evening and we’ve kept ourselves busy. Right at the beginning, the entire family was involved in creating a mind map of things we could do, everyone had a say.
We then built a daily schedule that the kids follow, it has a good balance of education and play. We don’t stick to it every day but use it as a guide. It’s something like:
• Exercise – This is typically the wonderful Joe Wicks, if you haven’t seen the PE classes he does at 0900 look him up on Youtube. We also go for walks or cycles (with me running!) around the park behind the house – Am I the only one to notice that everyone talks again, just like we did for those few weeks during the Olympics.
• Chilling – Play on the Amazon fire, or in the garden. Again were quite relaxed about this, and use it to get between activities.
• Online activities – The boys are loving doing online courses, they’ve learnt card tricks, have both done photography courses, completed a virtual Harry Potter tour and even Criminology! There are literally thousands of things available, take a look at Udemy or Outschool online for courses, and the fantastic “Smartphone Photography for Mindfulness” by our very own Tina Bolton.
• Their clubs haven’t stopped. OK there was a break while people took stock of the world, but there is so much that can be done with video-conferencing online. Scouts have had quizzes, and the junior section at the golf club have had inspirational sessions with professionals and leading UK amateurs giving talks.
• Family time – We’ve never spent so much time as a family talking, learning or watching TV together.
• We’re finding challenges – Thomas climbed Everest on the stairs over five days, and both boys are camping in the garden for a month – thankfully the weather had been perfect.
It’s not just the kids who have kept busy. I’m doing lots of reading (currently “The First 90 days” as a guide for how I approach a new job I start next week, and the audio book “Atomic Habits” to help develop new habits), listening to different music, learning WordPress with a view to doing lot’s more blogging and as always doing lots of exercise – I cycle online with thousands of other people from around the world using an app called Zwift, and started a Marathon plan in the hope that there are events in the Autumn we can do.
Don’t get me wrong, we can’t wait for things to get back to normality but as a family we are going to make sure we make the most of this unusual opportunity.
Stay safe everyone.