Well metaphorically speaking anyway! I have endured and overcome many things in my life so far. I have written about most of these things before. No matter what has been thrown at me, I have with determination and perseverance, continued to live my life and to be kind to everyone I meet. Despite my childhood, my children’s mental health challenges, and my own daily struggle with pain and depression, I have persevered. A pig headed, probably irrational, desire to believe that this is not going to be the rest of my life; that I will not be in this pain forever, that I will one day be able to walk with MrH round country houses, and castle ruins.
Persevere.
I try very hard to remain positive but it isn’t always easy. Holding on to the hope that one day I will have a normal life. We have battled for nearly 3 years to get someone to look at treating the cause of my pain instead of just treating the pain, and our perseverance seems to have finally paid off. There are no guarantees, but no matter how silly and remote it seems, I am determined to hold on to the belief that one day I will again ride my motorbike though the beautiful countryside of England, Wales and Scotland.
Keeping faith.
There is a state of crisis across the globe at the moment, the world at large is panicked by the corona virus, and the supermarkets in the UK are short on essential supplies due to a spate of panic buying. A ridiculous situation caused by a selfish minority. Yes, I do mean selfish. Determined to not run out by stocking up with excessive supplies, those selfish people ‘created’ a shortage immediately. They filled their trolley with loo roll, and food staples, leaving the masses unable to purchase their ‘usual’ supplies. The supermarkets have now responded by placing restrictions on the amounts people can purchase but it has come late. This should have been done immediately. As soon as the panic began not a week later. But hindsight is always perfect and it is easy for those of us, who do not have to make these decisions to sit in judgement.
Within this madness there have been stories that have renewed my faith in human kindness and decency. A young boy giving the last pasta on the shelf to an elderly person is just one example. This situation is an opportunity for people to show their true characters.
The challenges with Isolation.
My life is pretty isolated already, I am stuck in one room all day, every day. This has been the case since the 10th January. Before that I left home every day to go to work, but before and after work I returned to that one room. In reality I have been socially isolated for a year. When I see people on twitter and facebook complaining about being bored after a few days I find myself to be completely unsympathetic.
My son who struggled to find a job has been isolated in a similar way for 3 years. His friends all have girlfriends and have stopped socialising with anyone else. He has online friends and they have been his only steady social group for a while. Even now he has a job he works only 1 day a week. He spends most of his time caring for me. Isolation isn’t fun, but it is not the end of the world. We do at least have methods of communication that enable us to remain connected from a distance. Can you imagine if we had no television, internet, or telephones?
Cancelled.
Of course this has an impact on business too. All over the UK (and world) events are being cancelled and tickets refunded. The government has announced some financial relief for business, but it does highlight the need for crisis and continuity planning. The things people have looked forward to for months, sometimes years, postponed indefinitely. Weddings are often planned years in advance to secure the venue of their dreams. What happens now? That is of course the big question, and no one really has the answer.
Having a focus.
What I do know is that having something to focus on helps pass time when you are stuck inside. I knit and blog, but if I didn’t have the back pain, I would also do jigsaw puzzles, and cross stitch, perhaps even finish the quilt I started. I can’t do these things, because I can’t stand or sit. Which brings me nicely to something you can join me in.
A new Challenge.
I decided a little while ago that I wanted to branch out with this blog and find a new way to engage with the blogging community. Mr H has to help me dress and undress – asking him to pause and put me into something sexy, while he takes some pictures – that is just not practical.
The Fun Theme Photo Meme.
I decided to create a new meme. One focused purely on having fun. The result is the creation of the Fun Theme Photo Meme. The first theme ‘Pin Up‘ opens on the first of April (yes I know, April Fools day!) but that could not be helped, and as I hope this meme will be about having fun it also seems appropriate somehow. Each theme will run for one calendar month allowing you lots of time to take a picture and join in. You can also link more than one image a month if you wish to and if you do not want to use the theme, that is ok, you can link any image you like, I just ask that you follow the guidelines I have set.
Each post linked will be shared on twitter by @funthemephotome and @sweetgirl_mrh but I will not be doing a roundup or highlight post. I thought long and hard about this, but decided against it. The reason for this is psychological. I do not want anyone to feel that their post/image was not good enough to be picked. I do not want to set blogger against blogger in competition, instead I want to create an inclusive, accepting and encouraging environment where people are all equal regardless of skill and ability. A place to showcase what having fun with photography is all about.
The uncertain future.
I do not know if we will catch this virus, I do hope not. The news seems to suggest it is inevitable, that everyone will catch it but I sincerely hope that there will be a different outcome. We will persevere as we always have, taking one day at a time and remembering how fortunate we are to have each other. In the meantime, I hope that you and your loved ones, stay safe and well.
Sweetgirl x
This post has been linked to Food4Thought #141, Initiative, Taking Charge and Making Things Happen, and to see more posts on this topic click HERE.
