My second-week blip

The second week of lockdown has been harder than the first.

Living in a world dominated by COVID-19 can be overwhelming. And there are so many things to worry about that it’s difficult not to feel stressed.

Dying obviously comes close to the top of the list. Then we’re also concerned about those friends and relations of ours with “underlying health conditions” whose deaths would nonetheless be pretty tragic.

Then there’s the global economy, our personal finances, the inactivity, the uncertainty……I could go on. But why would I depress you?

Personally, I’m worried about all of the above. And I’m also worried about Auntie Jean.

She’s 102 years old and lives in a care home 20 miles away. I usually visit her every Wednesday but am no longer allowed to do so. Luckily she still has all her faculties, but when you’re 102 and have little access to the news or the outside world, a regular visitor’s failure to turn up at the appointed time will still seem like a bit of a betrayal. I write to her three times a week and phone regularly for updates, but she remains very sad about events. And there’s a real risk she will die alone during the next few months out of misery or boredom. Though I doubt if that’s what they’ll put on the death certificate.

We all have our Auntie Jean’s – the focal point of our worries at a hugely worrying time. But there’s no point in dwelling on things we can’t change, is there? It’s important to look on the bright side of things and consider the upsides of our present circumstances. Here are a few:

• We’re still alive. Definitely one for the “plus” column.

• By the weekend we’ll be more than halfway through our initial three-week lockdown. There’s every chance it will be extended, but we’ll still have reached a milestone and be nearer the end of this particular road.

• Joe Wicks is still doing his free daily workouts to cheer us all up. He dressed as Spiderman this morning and had us doing web-making exercises. What’s not to like?

• It’s going to be a cracking weekend weather-wise. So let’s turn our gardens into outdoor activity centres and get out those garden games, barbecues, paddling pools and picnic blankets. The fun starts here.

Joe Wicks as Spiderman