Faith In Times Of Uncertainty
Answering questions about lockdown and replying to an acronym story
Tim Maudlin challenged me to answer a series of questions about the pandemic lockdown. His acronym story of HOPE is my inspiration and answering message. It seems apt after all, to follow hope with faith.
The origins of the challenge began with Keno Ogbo writing the Answering Questions About A Lockdown story and picked up by Aurora Eliam, CMP.
A chain of people from across the world responding to a global situation. We are all in this — not one person has been untouched.
So from here in Cornwall, United Kingdom my answer to the questions …
- What have you missed the most during this lockdown?
I have missed the intangible state of freedom. At least, that feeling that if I wanted to, I could just walk out of the door, get in my car and drive to wherever I wanted. It has made me appreciate just what freedom means to me.
2. What is the best thing about being in a lockdown?
Well, this is an odd one. The best bit has been the fact that I have been furloughed from my full-time job! Now, that may seem a very strange thing to say, but it has given me all the time I have needed to write.
I have set up a business that I fully intend to transition into over the next 18 months so that I can work from home. I have been absorbed in creating. Time has flown by, and I wonder what I would have done without the unlimited focus on my new business.
3. What has been the worst thing about being in lockdown?
The constant, subconscious thoughts that this virus could unwittingly be brought into my home, despite all the precautions I might take to dispel it.
I live with my elderly parents. My father is 86 and is vulnerable, in need of sheltering. I have limited my ventures into the wider world to the smallest of occasions, managing to get home delivery for all our food and household requirements. This helps, but the mind monkeys still persist … if I let them.
4. Who would you have liked to host in your home during the lockdown and why?
My sons, William and Lawrence. They both live away from home and I’ve missed their hugs, warmth, and vibrancy. Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for all the incredible technology that allows us to Zoom call, message and telephone, but our pub quizzes would be all the more atmospheric if we were all in the same house!
5. What have you discovered about yourself in the lockdown?
A strength I knew I had within me, but had not managed to discover in its entirety. The strength to focus, to get swept up in creativity and get things done. I like my own company. It doesn’t frighten me to be on my own and do my own thing. Another thing to be thankful for.
6. What did you eat (or drink) the most during the lockdown?
I confess! There was a slightly increased amount of chocolate consumed, but it was Easter, right? And maybe there were one or two more glasses of red wine than usual.
7. Apart from sleeping and working, what activities did you undertake the most during the lockdown?
Writing! It has been a fantastic opportunity, which I have grabbed with both hands to put my dreams into action. The days have flown by.
I have been practicing yoga each morning with my friends online via Zoom. Yoga has given my days structure, waking up my body in preparation for its creative endeavors.
I am a member of a choir. The new normal is an online choir practice. Not sure it has improved my singing, as I can’t hear my buddies and it exposes my voice to anyone who strays too close! Needless to say, I am firmly behind closed doors on my own.
Will you come out of lockdown heavier or lighter?
Oooo, that’s a harsh one! I think I’ve got to be honest and say that it will be heavier, as my exercise has been somewhat limited. That and the drive to sit and write.
What resource has helped you the most during the lockdown?
Zoom. Without question, it has been magnificent. I am able to see and speak with my sons. I am able to do yoga with my friends.
What is your top tip for other people in lockdown right now?
Breathe — just know that all this will pass. The light at the end of the tunnel will come into focus and we WILL come into the light stronger and more resilient for the experience.
How has lockdown changed you?
Without a doubt, the lockdown has made me more determined to get my business up and running. I want to be able to choose when and how I use my time, not to be at the beck and call of a corporation. I admit that I work for a wonderful company, but the time is now upon me for me to call the shots.
If you were to leave a ‘message in a bottle’ for the future, what would you say?
Appreciate all you have now, for when we look back in time we realise that we had it then too.
Here in answer to Tim Maudlin’s Hope acronym is mine, that of FAITH:
F — Fundamentals
A — Assurance
I — Intention
T — Trust
H — Humour
Thank you to Tim Maudlin for challenging me, I have very much enjoyed the writing! I also would like to challenge some of our shared friends to take part and to thank those that have already provided such rich insights into life in lockdown.
Prompting some of our shared friends: Gurpreet Dhariwal, Henery X (long), Ksenia Sein, Livia Dabs, Paul Myers MBA, Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D., Desiree Driesenaar, Marlane Ainsworth, Terry Mansfield, Trista Ainsworth, Salam Khan, Selma, Rasheed Hooda, Indra Raj Pathak, Jessica Cote, JeffHerring.com, Candy L Hill, Alena Powell, Margaret Eves, Joan Kent, PhD, Melody Campbell, Bill Todd, MaryJo Wagner, Vickie Trancho, Sunita Pandit, Nathan White, Larry Nowicki, Nancy H. Vest, Kelda Ytterdal, Peg Duchesne, Yvonne Palmer, Linda Halladay, Trapper Sherwood, Cynthia Charleen Alexander, EricAsbeck.com, Steven Zabronsky, Kathleen N Hoagland, Esther Shelley
Please tag us in so that we can read. Thank you for reading :)
If you’d like to explore Cornwall from the luxury of your armchair, may I recommend my story, The Legends & Myths of Cornwall — The Mermaid of Zennor
If you’d like to see what fun I’ve been having writing, I invite you to explore Word Glue Marketing