Covid 19 in SA

Now, I don’t want to toot my own horn buuut – I’ve practically been preparing for this my whole adult life … I mean come on! Lockdown for 21 days? Cakewalk – is what a totally insensitive person would say… Covid-19 is serious.

I would like to take this time to point out that I know how lucky I am. If you have been affected by Covid-19 in any way, my heart goes out to you. I am in no way trying to make light of your circumstance. To the essential service workers – thank you for risking your lives – and those of your families – so we can live and evidently bitch and moan to our heart’s content.

Covid-19

So what is it like being on lockdown in South Africa?

It seems to be a different experience between the have and the have-nots. I’ll leave you to decide who is worried about feeding their family and who is upset they can’t go jogging.

And then there’s the panic buying, fake news spreading, mass hysteria, confusion of what ‘essential’ really means… That was week 1. I will admit to buying a kilo of pickled fish for Easter – for myself – it was on sale… They were practically giving it away. And I’ve never not had pickled fish on Good Friday. I was not about to let Covid-19 stop me!

Week 2 looked a little like The Walking Dead for the most part. There has, however, been 17 liquor store raids “so far”. I’m basically sitting on my couch watching the world crumble around me… America – wtf are you doing?!

I have rewatched Netflix and read the internet twice. And I have never consumed so much social media in my life! Or watched the news for anything other than SONA. Don’t get me started on those WhatsApp groups…

On a Personal Note

I have been discombobulated lately, just not quite able to get in my groove this year. Since the lockdown, everyone else seems to have more time while I am… drowning. I thought I’d use this time to get my life on track  – I honestly don’t know if 3 weeks is enough for me to get my shite together. Although, to be quite honest I haven’t been trying very hard. Or at all. You know when you need to do something but you have to do something else before you can do that first thing and you can’t do that second thing and have a normal productive day so you put it off until you can do only that thing until it’s completely done? And by the time you do that second thing, the first thing becomes like the second thing? Well, I have about 15 of those things…

At this point I’m clinging to my routine – with my husband acting like he’s on a cruise ship – it’s become an extreme sport. I’m barely working out… I was 1 week away from completing a road running couch to 10km program before Covid-19 hit. I was this close to selling my treadmill – luckily I decided to wait until after Winter. Please don’t ask me about my diet…

On a Positive Note

I finally cleared my office after more than 4 months of not being able to see the floor – and yes, it was one of those things. I also managed to ‘redistribute’ an entire category of clothes.

Can I just say how grateful I am to have electricity and, most importantly, wifi.

I really love how many people are starting to appreciate the essential workers. And now that parents are stuck at home with their kids – there is a lot more respect for what teachers do.

My daily routine now consists of waking up at around 10 and turning on the news – with every intention of working. At the time of posting, I haven’t left the house in 15 days – by far not a record for me. My husband, on the other hand, has left 4 times! Apparently vetkoek is essential…

I’ve been working from home for 6 years now. And many of you should be asking your employer some serious questions right about now… Do we need to commute 2 hours every day to a job we can do from home? Why can’t your sorry ass schedule a zoom meeting? Why couldn’t you do it before Covid-19? 

On The Real Though

I hope you are taking this time to do what you’ve been meaning to – connect with your family, work on yourself. Just do nothing for a change.

Take care. Be safe. Love life.

And don’t forget, you don’t always have to be perfekt – just try to be pretty close…

Stop! Wait a minute… Say what now? Extended? You’ve to be kidding?!