We're living in unprecedented times right now. Which, even as I type that, may be a bit of an understatement. Life has been completely upended for most of us, with no certainty of when - or even if - things will start to go back to normal.
I write this on my second day of social distancing, staying home as much as possible, and only really seeing my flatmates. Two days ago, the company I work for as a freelance tour guide was forced to close, due to lack of customers, and a responsibility to our customers and staff to begin isolating to prevent the spread of this virus. I still work for the company behind-the-scenes, so I am in a far more fortunate position than many of my fellow tour guides, who have lost their entire livelihood. I am at least still earning something, but that has more than halved with the loss of my tours (hence the creation of this page).
I find myself feeling lost and uncertain and anxious about this whole situation, and I know I am definitely not alone. I'm worried for the health and wellbeing of friends and family, both here and in other parts of the world, and particularly those in the higher risk groups. And I'm anxious about my own future, mainly financially and in terms of job security. I don't know what my life will look like in a month, two months, six months time... I've never been one for planning far in advance anyways, for years I've largely just been taking life as it comes. But now I can't even be sure how thing's will be in a week's time. And that's a fairly scary thought.
So I guess all we can do right now is take it a day at a time. We're all in one big waiting game; waiting to see what will happen, how long it will last, and how life will be forever changed as a result. We've probably all heard that saying about not stressing about the things we can't control, but that's far easier said than done in these uncertain times. It's the sheer lack of control and certainty and clarity causing many of us to feel more anxious and stressed than ever, be it about health or finances, or anything else affected.
So we need to be kind to one another. We need to be patient, generous, caring... we need to help each other in whatever ways we can. We need to find ways to feel less alone and come together, while still isolating and social distancing. We need to remember that so many others are in the same situation as ourselves, and the world will find solutions for us. We need to remember that things are always changing anyways, just now more so than ever, and nothing is permanent. Life may not look the same after, but we will come through this.