When Social Distancing Becomes Emotional Distancing

There I was minding my own business…literally (check out www.the-plume.co.uk) looking forward to buying Easter eggs for my lovely grandchildren, when along comes this thing called COVID-19 and turns the world upside down.

Of course, my initial response is “the world’s gone soft, it is nothing more than a fancy name for the flu.”

Boris and his mates begin to appear daily on TV giving briefings about the situation. Is it me? or does the one Chief Medical Office look as though he could do with a good hot meal and a few nights rest?, then again, I suppose having to tell the nation that the “fancy flu” isn’t so fancy and can kill you, in addition to the fact that it’s a now global pandemic, probably wasn’t in the job description. Social distancing is the new buzz word and of course those words “We are in unprecedented times”…if I had a shilling for every time I heard or read the words, “unprecedented times” I’d be able to buy that fancy Jeep I’ve always wanted , I think it’s a Grand Cherokee or something.

So, in steps, Social Distancing and I have got to put the Easter eggs on hold. I am not allowed to leave the house, unless it is essential…I feel it is essential to hug and play with my grandkids…the Social Distancing Measure disagree. So, I‘m unable to 

visit family, 

go to the office, 

visit clients, 

Can this get any worse?

BREAKING NEWS!!!

The FA has confirmed that ALL football matches will be cancelled until further notice!

I, like the rest of the footballing nation were up in arms…(out the corner my eye I see my wife make a “Bolt” for a note pad and pen…I only imagine to start writing a list of things that need doing! I am sure other partners up and down the country are doing the same) …What about the pre match meet up? Or the singing on the terraces with my daughter and 38k other Leeds Utd fans as we seem to be heading back to the premier league. Why would they cancel the season now?...Conspiracy theories abound…The premier league does not want us…speaking of conspiracy theories, did you hear the one about COVID19 been created in a secret laboratory? No, it’s those bloody 5G towers…Or what about the WhatsApp message that had a lady whose boyfriend’s sister’s nephew, who has a class mate whose brother’s aunty’s son who knows the milkman who delivers milk to No 10, and whilst collecting the empty bottles outside the cabinet office he heard…well, you know the rest.

To recap, I am unable to

Visit family, 

Go to the office, 

Visit clients,

Go to football

Go to the gym…(I was due to join…soon)

Leave the house (except for essentials)

The country is officially on lock down or is that meltdown? The TRWs (short for Toilet Roll Warriors) are out in force fighting for everything in sight! In the words of Marvin, “What’s going on?”

COVID19 is not going anywhere soon and feels like it is holding us captive in our own home as it lays siege to life as we know it.

In the world where The Avengers are all the rage, a new breed of superhero emerges…The Key Workers! Clad in uniforms they assemble and swoop into action on the front-line fighting COVID-19…defenders and protectors of humanity. As in every war, you have your casualties, only unlike the movies no one returns…Enter the unsung heroes, the ones that fight on the back line as it were, supporting families as they come to terms with the loss of their loved ones, a situation made all the more challenging by Social Distancing…(I’m starting to dislike those words) there’s no fanfare or weekly cheers but they go about the unenviable task of dealing with the fall out with a quiet dignity and grace that could easily go unnoticed…Funeral Directors, we salute you.

Friends and acquaintances start to become ill and then…I get THAT call, you know, the one that leaves you feeling like the Coyote from Road Runner has dropped an Acme Anvil on your head…in my moment of grief I instinctively reach for my keys to head out the door to go and show my support and offer comfort…then I hear those 2 words…

Within days the phone goes again…and again, 3 becomes 4 then over 2 days jumps to 11…you feel like it’s a nightmare that will never end, the calls stopped at 18…yes, 18 family and friends whom COVID-19 had snatched…Funerals are now more like Senior Management meetings, limited to the chosen few. How does a family of 25+ decide which 16 family members are going to attend? 

The list goes on…

Visit family, 

Go to the office, 

Visit clients,

Go to football

Go to the gym…(I was due to join…soon)

Leave the house (except for essentials)

Support family and friends of the bereaved

Attend funerals and pay my respects

There is light at the end of the tunnel as the R rating is low…lockdown restrictions have been eased and we are heading towards a new normal. Social Distancing measures are still in place but are a little more flexible. Pubs are open and funerals are changing with more people finding creative ways to feel a connect to their loved ones. 

Life now feels like a series of video calls and meetings…I contemplated changing my name to Zoom…As for football, I am now a season remote holder (I guess this is normal for a Man U fan lol)

Things are on the up, so, I have started a new list and crossed things off as I go:

HUG MY GRANCHILDREN

Visit Family

Go to the office, 

Visit clients,

Go to football

Go to the gym…(I was due to join…soon)..Er, pending

Leave the house (except for essentials)

Support family and friends of the bereaved

Attend funerals and pay my respects

Of the many things I’ve observed since this pandemic began, one thing for sure is that just because we’ve been advised to keep a Social Distance isn’t doesn’t have to impact our emotional connect with each other and we must find ways to ensure that all import connection remains in place as it’s one of the key components of the human spirit.

Social Distancing does not have to mean Emotional Distancing

#socialnotemotionaldistancing

#stayconnected

#theplume

#funeraldirectors