The Year the World Stood Still

Many, many years ago, before you were born, in the year 2020 the world stood still. Very still, for months on end. You see, there was a virus, a terrible virus, it started in China and then spread throughout the world. No country was left untouched by its cruelty. It was the most uncontrollable virulent disease ever known to mankind. Coronavirus was its name.

At first people weren’t at all worried. China seemed so far away. It wasn’t our problem. We were safe. Why be concerned? No, it couldn’t affect us.

Little did we know. Oh how naïve, complacent and trusting we were! Suddenly, it had one foot on our doorstep, there were cases in Italy. Terrible stories of suffering and people dying. Restrictions were being imposed. The death toll went up and up. Again, it seemed far away. We weren’t too worried. We were healthy, we were strong.

Very soon it crept into our country, crossing invisible borders, slipping in unseen through the doorway, like an evil cloaked devil. People started to fall ill. Loved ones left us before their time. We watched the news with faces of terror. The schools were closed, offices shut down and factories dormant. People lost their jobs, had no money to eat or pay their mortgages or rent.
It was like a surreal nightmare, a dystopia. Beyond our comprehension. We were told we couldn’t go out of our houses. For some, homes became a prison, for others a safe refuge. We were in shock, we were fearful. We couldn’t see our family or friends. We couldn’t go for a walk, run or cycle. We were not allowed to enjoy a concert, eat at a restaurant, watch a film at the cinema or have drink at a bar. We couldn’t go to the beach, feel the sand on our feet. We couldn’t wander through the woodlands, listening to the wind rustling through the leaves. And we couldn’t breathe the fresh mountain air into our lungs.

We had no faith in our leaders. They weren’t doing enough. They talked too much, they talked too little. We were paranoid. We became angry. We shouted at and berated people who flaunted the lockdown from our windows. We crept out of our homes to buy food, afraid of the patrolling police cars. We were obsessed with cleanliness, scrubbing our hands until they were raw, our faces covered with masks, disinfecting everything in our homes.

We quickly picked up survival techniques like our grandparents did during the war. We learnt how to budget for our shopping. We discovered how to forage for food, how to harvest our allotments. We discovered how to batch cook, how to freeze, how to plan ahead. We practised new recipes. We baked cakes and bread with our children. We learnt how to shop online and above all we acquired patience. Patience to endure the scarcity of food and to queue outside the shops for hours on end.

We had to find out how to connect using technology. How to see our loved ones on a screen. Our social lives revolved around a computer or mobile phone. Our bookclubs and yoga lessons were online. Those of us who were fortunate worked from home. Home schooling for our children became the norm. Long telephone calls with family afar kept us afloat.

We tried to limit our exposure to the horrors of the news, whilst trying to keep informed of the growing statistics. We devised ways of keeping our minds free of the terrors and worry. Cupboards were cleaned, attics and garages cleared out. Hobbies were taken up, knitting, painting, crafts. Board games dusted off. Humour became our shield, as videos and memes were sent. The family once again became a unit. Meals were eaten together and we had time to chat. Our children became anxious, full of unexpended energy, vying for our attention and affection.

Solace was found in nature. The birdsong was louder than it had ever been. The birds knew that something was wrong. They flew freely and observed no movement down below, no cars in the street, no people on the pavements. Silence. The skies were clear and free of the criss-cross patterns made by planes. The air was pure and pollution-free. The trees put forth their leaves as the season changed and the blossom lifted our spirits. The flowers bloomed on our balconies and in our gardens and gave us reason to have an inkling of hope.

Society pulled together, we had to, there was no choice. Ordinary people set up initiatives to help others, selflessly giving their time to make the lives of others a little bit better. Healthcare workers, the police force, delivery drivers, cleaners and other key workers and volunteers bravely sacrificed their health and their lives for us, putting their families at risk. Kind human beings on the front line every day, helping others. They were the real heroes. For them we came out on our balconies every evening and clapped. We sang and we cheered. For without them we would have all gone.

In the end, after many months, we started gradually to return to our daily lives. We were never the same again. Never would we take for granted the little things. At first most of us were cautious, we feared contamination from a simple hand shake, a kiss, a hug. Other people popped open champagne and toasted the return to normality. Bit by bit we started to savour every single day of our freedom. We became more mindful of our expenditure, more frugal. We respected the environment and marvelled in nature. We appreciated our jobs, the food on our plates, the liberty to walk down the street, to meet and greet our friends and neighbours.

Travel became a novelty again, we made bucket lists and our dreams of far destinations came true. Above all, we made haste to see our loved ones, to hold them and never let them go.

We were kinder, more tolerant and loving. Never again did we dare become complacent.