The power of community
As shocks to the system go, on every level COVID-19 has been seismic. Less than a month ago it was only really on the edge of my radar, I was watching all that was unfolding in China of course, but I had just moved house and was getting used to my new surroundings. No one could have predicted that we would now be under lockdown, allowed to leave the house once a day, and that the risk to life would be quite so severe. At this very moment I have been listening to the lunchtime news as we are all in shock that Boris Johnson is himself in Intensive Care.
As this crisis has unfolded I have watched the people around me move through a range of emotions. There are those who are actually busier than ever as their organisations and personal responsibilities require them to make many decisions, others who are bored because they are on furlough and have lost that sense of purpose work gives us, friends and family, including mine who are or have had to self-isolate because members of their household have the virus (it was my husband in my house) and worried about their health. And of course, we’ve all lost our sense of freedom and the ability to do what we want when we want.
It’s an exhausting and emotional time for all of us individually and collectively, but where, in terms of the impact on our literal and physical local communities, are we now?
The struggle is real
You don’t have to walk far to see how COVID-19 has made an impact. Winchester High Street is effectively closed. Several essential shops remain open but there is none of the usual bustle. The streets are empty, the roads are much quieter and many of the places where we would normally meet and congregate just aren’t open. I really miss my favourite nook in Open House Deli where I’ve spent many hours watching the world go by and meeting friends and colleagues.
The essential #StayAtHome command is having an effect on everyone. From children missing their friends at school to the impact of isolation for those who live alone, especially anyone who can’t get out, we have suddenly become a dispersed community. At least, that’s what it looks like on the surface…
Coming together in troubled times
Of course there are difficulties right now as well as tales of not so generous – and downright criminal – acts. However, I have been struck by how adaptable we are as communities, from Winchester to locations all over the UK, have pulled together to support the most vulnerable. The village where I’ve moved to has made sure that literally every household is in touch with a local co-ordinator. I haven’t met anyone but I don’t feel alone. So many people have responded to the NHS call for volunteers, local businesses are offering to drop meals in for vulnerable people, free flowers are in the supermarkets and stores are giving discounts to key workers. Along with many other faith organisations and charities, the church I’m part of has created all sorts of ways of being church without walls and FB live, Zoom and YouTube are all making that easier.
Indeed social media has provided an excellent way to mobilise local community groups digitally, to find vulnerable people who need help, to share ideas and inspiration and to spread positive messages. I’m amazed at how adaptable we are and how we’ve become a lot more innovative in such a short space of time. From live PE lessons on YouTube to streaming yoga classes, virtual dinner parties and restaurants using ingredients they can’t make into meals to create much needed food boxes, there is a lot to be proud of.
How can we help ourselves?
There are so many volunteering opportunities if we want to show our help that way, and simple acts of kindness go a long way, even the courtesies of keeping the 2m distance in queues and on pavements helps.
The person it might be hardest to help is yourself. I realise this is true for me; it really came home when I was in a zoom meeting last Friday where a theme emerged that we were finding it hard to concentrate on anything for long, we agreed ‘foggy brain’ was a good description, and even getting round to doing those tasks we’ve been putting off wasn’t happening. What was helpful was creating a rhythm and a routine, structuring the day and the week. The group managed to articulate what I was experiencing but hadn’t found a way of expressing. If, like me, you’d find it helpful to talk through how it is for you, and share what’s working and isn’t working in these days, then please join me. I’m adapting the Pause days I’ve facilitated for many years into bite-sized hour long sessions.