I'm writing this at 11pm after one of those unexpected days that help to remind you of the power of communication and the benefits of making that connection. My Friday was pretty uneventful, working from home and generally just trying to stay sane in amongst the complete madness of what is happening here.
Saturday on the other hand, was just awesome.
Firstly, my daughter scared the living daylights out of me at about 5am by sending a message to my Echo - "Daddy are you up?". I don't think anything has made me move as quick in years!
In her defence, I did tell her on Friday night that she could call me 24/7 and I'd always be there. However for context, I've been away for 77 days now and I can safely say that she has called me out of choice about twice. The rest of the time I've had to employ the trick of getting Nat to make her do it! So it was nice, if unexpected.
We then spent the next 4-5 hours hanging out. She baked banana bread (didn't save me any) and then put this awesome 3D Eiffel Tower jigsaw together. I might have dozed off a couple of times (but not for long). I contributed nothing to either the baking or the jigsaw, but I loved every second of it.
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| The finished product |
It was amazing.
It just shows that this virus lockdown is no reason not to spend time with those you love. With a bit of willpower and a pinch of initiative there is NO excuse that I'll accept for not reaching out and making those memories.
There is no reason not to be there, even in spirit. We are 4000 miles away and still managed to hang out - for longer than we used to do when I was home probably!
And if that wasn't enough the afternoon was mainly taken up with a lads afternoon! A few beers and some great chat, ranging from the virus itself through craft beer, "classic era" WWF/E and Lego Batmobiles.
For those who haven't given it a go yet, I'd thoroughly recommend the HouseParty app. Pretty much just a simple video chat app but it allowed me, Dan, Gareth and Baz to catch up from four locations pretty much seamlessly - despite a minor overheating issue with my phone and Cadman's inability to keep himself in our shots!
I hadn't realised how much I had missed that interaction. How nice it was just to drink some beers and put the world to rights. We take for granted these people in our lives and we shouldn't.
My hope is that this virus will change the way the world thinks, for the better.
It will remind us that everything is fleeting and you never know when it might be gone. But it will also show us that this shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, instead it should be a daily reminder to seize the day. It should be the incentive to live more in the here and now.
We worry so much about the future, and have so little control over it. But the present, well, the present is something you can influence, something you can shape. So embrace it, mould it, shape it to your will. If you think about doing something, go do it. If you miss someone, call them. If you want to spend time with people you are isolated from, find a way.
That's the key to all of this. Excuses are easy. Don't hide behind them. Don't use them as an "out". Take some responsibility. Own it. Grasp the nettle.
FIND. A. WAY.
Till tomorrow, Tom
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