Took the afternoon off work today so that I could accompany Mr E for his second Covid-19 jab. I didn’t go in with him, just waited outside, but we took advantage of the warm weather and went out for an outdoor lunch after. It’s been quite hot today, hot enough that the fire department had to cool down the building where vaccinations were taking place…
We drove on to a spot my husband had recently discovered alongside the Lek river, in the shade underneath some old trees. It was gorgeous sitting there, watching boats and cargo barges going by.
Fun little tidbit: yesterday I read that it was the 49th birthday of my fave David Bowie album and today I saw a ‘Ziggy’ car (see number plate) parked at the river, as if in celebration of that little fact. 🙂
Vaccination has taken flight here and with a bit of luck as of tomorrow people born in 2001 (like my son!) can make their appointments. Corona cases are in rapid decline here and it looks like some more restrictions may be lifted soon, even the working from home order may be lifted. It all feels so very weird to me, I think I may need to re-learn to socialize. I can totally relate to this…
The end of the pandemic seems to be in sight and I have to admit it feels very strange that (a part of) the world is returning to ‘normal’. I am thrilled that cases are falling and less people are getting sick, I am thrilled that we have a vaccine to protect us, but I am less thrilled at the prospect of everything going back to the way it used to be. Maybe I don’t want everything to go back to what it used to be…
The Book of Esther 
“But I am less thrilled at the prospect of everything going back to the way it used to be. Maybe I don’t want everything to go back to what it used to be…
Great dilemma!
“You are and had been very fortunate to have a choice, however small it may , ought to be. Much of the solution is in your hands, I’d be inclined to write …
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Glad your husband got his second jab! That spot for lunch looks tranquil!
What is the new “normal” ? What does normal really mean 🧐🤔
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Yes, it’s a beautiful spot, we’ll definitely return. 🙂
The old normal to me was packed trains during rush hour and packed cinemas and museums and the obligation to go to the office every day. I don’t want to go back to that. There is space and quiet now to the daily routines that suit me very well. But I am looking forward to going out more again and I am looking forward to traveling again.
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Yes, I have been fortunate with choice. Alas, not everything is in my hands. If our bosses decide we need to be back in the office again every day, then that will become a battle. Or when I go to the museum or cinema it will be crowded again. At the cinema, for instance, I like that they now make sure there is space between groups of people.
I am very happy, though, that cultural life is opening up again and that we can go back to restaurants. I just want to do all that with a little Covid-19 space.
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I had in mind what I translated in June 2020 , Servetus published it.From Pilgrimage to SARS-CoV2 [guest post by squirrel; 1 of 2]
“Being limited in our social life allows us to find a deeper bond” (HUMAN REALM)
More generally, Father Mahieu sees in this confinement a means of “going beyond material values. Many things are superficial. Now, with this confinement, we will find those which are essential: love, devotion for others, generosity…”
Seeing such dedication on the part of caregivers, but also outbursts of generosity here and there proves, according to the Benedictine monk, that “there is much good in the person. It was buried under superficiality and it’s coming up right now.”
Could this health crisis lead us to question the primacy of money and the economy over people?
“This will challenge our whole way of life, starting with the globalization of money. But are we ready?” wonders Father Mahieu, drawing on the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’ in which Francis shows, from an ecological point of view, the limits of globalization.
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Just having in mind what I wrote a Year before on Servetus blog
From Pilgrimage to SARS-CoV2 [guest post by squirrel; 2 of 2]
“The world in which we will live in future will no longer be as before. It will be necessary to build new relationships between humans, despite distrust of others, and reconnect with less sanitary contacts whom we trust. I hope everyone can get on with it.”
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I remember. 🙂
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The translation of Articles about monks during containment, sent on June 2020 on Servetus blog, still in mind:From Pilgrimage to SARS-CoV2 [guest post by squirrel; 1 of 2]
Overcome superficial things (PSYCHOLOGICAL REALM):
“In this period of confinement, we are all deprived of social ties. How to overcome this isolation? We can still write, phone” (or email, but not monks). ”
“Being limited in our social life allows us to find a deeper bond” (HUMAN REALM)
More generally, Father Mahieu sees in this confinement a means of “going beyond material values. Many things are superficial. Now, with this confinement, we will find those which are essential: love, devotion for others, generosity…”
Seeing such dedication on the part of caregivers, but also outbursts of generosity here and there proves, according to the Benedictine monk, that “there is much good in the person. It was buried under superficiality and it’s coming up right now.”
Could this health crisis lead us to question the primacy of money and the economy over people?
“This will challenge our whole way of life, starting with the globalization of money. But are we ready?” wonders Father Mahieu, drawing on the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’ in which Francis shows, from an ecological point of view, the limits of globalization.
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Good to read about the vaccination progress and congrats to your husband for his 2nd jab! I hope the vaccinations won’t slow down here… Tonight I had a first choral meeting. Almost everyone was there, we gathered in a church, everyone with a proper distance to the neighbour, and even sang… It felt strange! Let’s hope the various mutants won’t disturb our new freedom!
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Thanks.
Yes, strange but good to be doing that again, I think. We’ll all need to re-socialize a bit again. 🙂
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We do! Let’s hope the virus won’t prevent us from doing so another time…
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I miss traveling tremendously and it’s hard to plan any trip right now because each city and country have different requirements
There is a slow down to life from Covid which can be seen as a positive 💕
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Yes, we have the same trouble here with planning. We want to go away for our summer holiday, maybe drive to France and rent a cottage there somewhere, but we’re waiting until there is more clarity about travel do’s and don’ts for August.
Yes, slow down to life but also giving each other more space.
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The thing I’m fairly sure I will never go back to (except in cases where there is no alternative) is physical shopping in a store. I think the pandemic more or less made curbside pickup and/or delivery my go-to mode.
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That does sound good. My mom now orders groceries online (with my sister) and has it delivered for free which she’ll keep doing as well.
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I did curbside groceries since (more or less) dad’s stroke, just because of the time savings. I could never do delivery, because I could never predict what would happen to groceries once dad saw them. And then we couldn’t do delivery anyway after the town destroyed our fire number in March — the delivery services had no way to find us. But what I really learned to enjoy was the “same day pick up” option — if I needed (say) a towel, seeing online what was available in a store for pick up that day, ordering it, and scooping it up on my through town. Now I could do home delivery again, as I have an address. But I’d usually rather have something I can get immediately than wait on delivery.
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