Lockdown week 6

 

Lockdown week 6 going towards week 7....and I am still around even if I am not writing much. I'd like to say that I am moving on with Henry's and Stella's story but it is not the case. I am frozen, unable to write and concentrate. I am reading though. Quite a lot actually, which is in a way surprising given the situation in and outside our home.

There are too many people in this house, too much noise, too much imperatives that need my expert motherly love...and patience...to find the time to sit, reflect, listen to my characters's voices  and turn that into words on paper. I still need to write but cannot find the energy to do it.

Every evening, we have the countdown on the number of casualties for the day and on the number of lucky people who left hospital alive. And everyday I am thankful that none of the people I know (relatives, friends, neighbours or simply faces I regularly meet on street) are not among the deceased ones.

They are still alive, we are still alive and one day we will live again as if nothing had happened.

Deep down, we all know that it will be difficult to do "as if"....little shops, restaurants and bars will remain close when our goverments will finally declare that it is now save to live normally again. People will have lost their jobs or their houses, if not their lives. Summer is approaching and tourists are still wondering about travelling abroad, not because they are selfish but because they paid an awful lot in early bookings before this covid crisis and because they know that they will have to pay even if finally Italy, Spain or France says no to tourism. Money that will be hard to get back since flying companies, hotels and resorts need that money too. And since people are losing jobs almost everyday, dreaming about a better future is important. Stupid as it may sound dreaming about that fantastic holiday you booked for july or august is something to look forward too.

I am looking forward to simple things really: kiss my elderly parents, have a barbecue with my friends, a night out on a sunny terrace, walk on the beach even under the rain. And spending time outside my house is on top of my list. I am longing for a stroll in the parc but a real one, where I can sit on a bench and see my kids playing, safely. And this is probably the only "free activity" that they will have this summer.

In the meantime, we observe the world from our balcony and from our tv screen and hope for the best.

Stay safe, stay inside and stay alive.

Love,

Reading Freak