Today feels brand new

Its been absolutely ages since I've felt the urge to write on here and the world has changed so much since the last time.




In 2020 I had an amazing two week snowboarding holiday with friends to Whistler, Canada.  Then the world fell foul to COVID-19.  

In a matter of weeks, life for me became unrecognisable.  I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home.  Until now the longest I'd ever spent doing that was 5 days, now its approaching 1 year! The sedentary lifestyle started to take its toll and the weight was heading northwards again.  So I started to increase my cycling (indoor) and running (outdoor).  I remember how weird it felt going outside and giving a wide berth to people.  Settling into a very strange but what had to become the "new normal".

Found I was losing my mind within a few weeks and so in a humourous (well I thought it was) I vented through Sasha.  Even posting it onto youtube:


and then a short while later on, a second video.  No I wasn't trying to match the fame of Mr Andrew Cotters two labradors Olive and Mabel



There was the initial worry when being told that households should stick to themselves.  How would it work for me as a dad that didn't have his son on a full time basis? I wasn't the only person to think along similar lines and fortunately clarification was received the following morning on the news where children of parents that didn't live together were still able to go be with both parents.  The schools being "shut" added a new dynamic to things where on my dad weekends I was able to have Keegan for longer.  With leftover holiday money, we were able to get Keegan a laptop to be able to do his schoolwork remotely but it did also make me wonder about that divide and how many kids wouldn't have access especially if a household only had a single computer that was needed by more than one person?

It frustrated me that some people wouldn't take this seriously, even calling it all a hoax.  When I lost my uncle in Spain to it really hammered it home how serious this thing was.  A gym goer, no previous conditions, not young but not ancient either.  

I've come out of this other end with a scar on my left knee from a running accident that needed internal and external stitches. That was a day I'll never forget, least of all because I'll always have a reminder of it when I see my leg. Over a month off from doing anything and then back into the cycling.  

I've had some dates, yes even during lockdown.  Well if you can call them "dates" seeing as the world was limiting its social interactions to getting outside for a walk.  While I know what I want in an ideal world, I'm still not there but recognizing self worth and knowing how I want to be treated is what I'm taking away from these experiences.

Christmas getting a special self serving mention because I made the Velo news for doing a virtual 500km on Zwift in a single effort. 

https://www.velonews.com/culture/man-completes-entire-rapha-festive-500-on-christmas-day/

Also getting me the most number of "likes" I've ever received for a single tweet 



Its been such a learning experience and I would say that most of that learning has only been in the last few weeks.  It is ok to not be ok. It is ok to not have it all together all the time.  

I have shared with my friends a good analogy of how I've been feeling.  I've been thirsty and my friends are glasses of water. But I wont drink from any of the glasses until I make myself less thirsty.  

How many of you out there have felt the same thing?

Now we have a path out of lockdown.  I can definitely understand and appreciate that it will not be over tomorrow and how the government needs to be cautious over this.  Personally I would much rather it take the time they're saying it will take than have it all be over tomorrow, all "freedoms" restored only for cases to escalate and them having to restrict things once more.

This morning I've been making plans to see friends just not yet. I never had a single cocktail day in London in 2020 (nor a trip to Bodeans BBQ) and that is now being planned.  2021 is shaping up to be so much better than 2020.

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