First day outside since slef isolating
I have just returned from my first foray into the outside world in 7 days. It was surreal ...Chiswick High Road is normally a vibey and buzzy place lined with pavement cafes full of people just hanging out and chilling, so for me today was incredibly surreal. No people, no traffic on the road, no fumes, no buses, no trucks, very few vans, no planes flying overhead, no pavement cafes, just ... nothing!This air of surrealism was not helped by the bright sunshine to the West and the low, black clouds to the East. All it needed was a few crows to land on the telephone wires and the Hitchcockian vibe would have been complete.The people queueing outside Waitrose were all observing the 2m distancing but most were leaving 3m. No couples and no children in the line. Not a long queue though and within 5mins I was inside the store. Lots of people in surgical masks and everybody apologising to each other for encroaching on each other’s 2m social distancing space, unavoidable when going up and down a shopping aisle. But the actual shopping was fantastic! Keeping shoppers to a minimum meant that I could get everything I needed (apart from eggs) and was a ctually a lot quicker than a normal pre CV-19 shop. It was really rather pleasant.For me the worst thing about this lockdown (apart from not being able to hug people - I am a tactile hugger) was the empty fridge at home and the feeling that we would never be able to eat properly again. To actually be able to buy what I needed was a huge relief to me and I could actually feel a weight being lifted from my shoulders as I left the store.If we learn only one thing from this awful CV-19 experience let it be this: we should never take anything for granted ever again. We are all of us human, we are all the same, we all deserve respect and compassion, and on this small and insignificant planet we are all in the same boat.Big Love. x
Chris Blackwell ● 2410d2 Comments