Can’t believe it’s been 5 days already! Time is passing fast for me. My mood is good. Well, I have to say that in Belgium it has been a lighter lockdown than for instance in Italy, France and Spain, because we are allowed to go out for walks as long as we are not more than two and we keep a distance of at least one meter, unless it’s someone we live with. I am going out only for walks by myself or with my husband, and I keep a distance from people in the street. The government is expecting us to behave like grownups and avoid crowds. Personally, I appreciate that the government doesn’t apply measures in a military way (Macron said France is at war, what an insult for people suffering from real war!), but this will work only if people don’t make stricter measures necessary.
Anyway. What did I do these days apart from going out for walks and working? I have been reading, I watched Chernobyl, as I had said, very much recommended but if you live alone and are sensitive I would suggest not to watch it before going to bed, as it is intense and slightly graphic. I had a drink on Skype with friends for a friend’s birthday (which was not bad at all and left me with the nice feeling you get from sharing moments with friends), I cleaned the house, cooked lasagna, saw an interesting talk about democracy and capitalism, did yoga (very grateful for the online classes!!!), talked with friends via Whatsapp audio messages…
I am not bored at all! Quite the contrary, I feel the days are too short to do all the things I would like to. I am grateful for all the links shared, the free classes, the movie suggestions, I see solidarity around me and it makes my heart warm.
It’s definitely nice to have the energy to do things. I am working but not 8 hours straight as I usually do when I go to the office; this leaves me with far more energy far less stress. Working 8 hours per day behind a screen is so exhausting for the mind, that I usually don’t feel like using my brain in the evening, and I rather sit motionless on the couch and watch a TV show, or go out for drinks.
I do miss seeing my friends, drinking beers in the sun, going to concerts, but otherwise I am happy, I am enjoying a lot this time to read and to dedicate to activities besides Netflix and going out at night, this slow-paced life, the long talks with friends on the phone. At the moment for example I am very tired and sleepy, but it is because I walked 6.80 km today, I did 30 minutes of yoga and I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, besides working. It’s a feeling of accomplishment that I don’t have so often. It’s like I am in charge of my time.
A friend in Italy – in complete isolation – told me that maybe what we are experiencing now is not sacrifice (I say ‘we’ in an attempt to generalise a bit but she was speaking for herself), but living as we are used to – always running, doing things we don’t really like or enjoy because we need a salary, or out of obligation or guilt – is. She added that now we have time to think and to handle days at our own rhythm. Not false.
At the same time, I do not forget that this is my personal privileged experience, made possible by the fact that I continue to receive my full salary even if I am staying at home.
Blabbering of a millennial 