Since the end of February 2020, the whole of the Netherlands has been under the spell of a small virus with a size between
the 0,06 micrometer and the 0,14 micrometer. So small and yet so notorious... the coronavirus. The coronavirus owes its name to the form... the virus with crown-shaped protrusions.
What started as an epidemic quickly grew into a pandemic. An epidemic on a global scale.
The pandemic affects you and me but also the rest of the world. Currently the whole of the Netherlands is in a Target lockdown or the intelligent lockdown as Premier Rutte calls it. In the event of an intelligent lockdown, the government wants to prevent group formation. And get the spread of the virus under control. There are a number of measures that we must adhere to. For example, staying at home as much as possible and social distance.

Because I work in healthcare and still see patients, I travel to Haarlem 4 times a week. In the first week of the intelligent lockdown, I noticed that the buses and trains were almost empty. I had to get used to this. It felt strange and almost unreal, traveling alone with no one around me except the bus driver who greets me kindly when I get on the bus. I take a seat in the bus, look out and see that there are few cars on the road. I stare out in front of me and my thoughts wander. The first thing that comes to mind is a film by Will Smith, I am legend. A post-apocalyptic horror film about a virologist played by Will Smith. The virologist tried to develop a vaccine against a virus created by a scientist who was developing cancer treatment by modifying the measles virus. This led to an outbreak of a new virus. One could then be infected by a bite of another human. I was back to reality and I thought, “Wow, we all ended up in a bad movie with the coronavirus.

So my advantage is that I have to go outside for work because of the fact that I have a vital profession. In addition, I can socialize with my colleagues at work and that makes ordinary life go on despite the situation we are in.. For the rest of the population, who does not have a vital occupation, it is recommended to maintain the measure to work as much as possible at home.
The rest of the days I sit at home as much as possible and I go out the door only for the most needed. Just like the rest of the population in quarantine.

Now I will tell a little more about how much effect the lockdown has on me and how I have experienced it so far.
In normal life before all this started and I was used to a certain structure in my life like many, I was already in a kind of quarantine. Before the lockdown I had the freedom to go out and go out to dinner etc.. I had the need then too, but I also had the urge to be alone and to come to the core of myself. This started when I started living on my own after a breakup of an 11-year relationship. I wanted to create my own identity, find myself and deal with the things that bothered me. The things that blocked me from making certain choices in life and getting over certain fears. Breaking a pattern shaped by my background, upbringing and the role I have in the family. I retired regularly and wanted to be alone. Only with my thoughts and feelings. Because I spent a lot of time at home, I was confronted with myself, especially with my feelings and emotions. That wasn't always easy. It was also physically unbearable. I had to get out of my comfort zone to face the feelings and emotions. That takes a lot of energy and courage. I felt I had to do something with it. Flights were no longer an option.
And I got to work with myself and wanted to break the circle. At first I didn't like being alone, and I wasn't used to that. I am now two years later and can now be alone and enjoy my own company and deal with my feelings and emotions. Now I can embrace my feelings and emotions as my friends. I have it better balanced now and more under control. With the quarantine, I don't notice much difference from what my life was like before. I can be fine on my own and don't see this as something negative.. Rather as something positive. We're all in the same boat now. That's something we share with each other and that makes it that you're not all alone. Social distance makes you miss people. You miss the proximity of your family and friends. Especially the physical contact we miss. But through the quarantine, you'll learn to appreciate them more. And then the intelligent lockdown we're in right now isn't so bad. For example, the people in the Gaza Strip are struggling and are currently living in a double lockdown.
In addition to the lockdown due to the coronavirus, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been living in complete isolation and confinement for many years.. The Palestinians have undergone unbearable power cuts, denial of medical care and lack of basic needs. Fortunately, this is not the case in the Netherlands. With the information we now have about the people in the Gaza Strip, you will immediately put into perspective.

As a human being, we can be flexible and if we have to, we can adapt. We're all in a situation we can't change at the moment. We can only decide for ourselves how we deal with it. The lockdown will have a lasting impact on all of us. It won't be the way it was. Now more than ever, it is important to use the moment to work on ourselves and hopefully we will become less individualistic. Also look more often to look at others and nature.
We have time to step back into the busy world we live in.
To be more aware of ourselves, to accept the situation as it is and we can think about it here and now.

That way, we can find peace in the peace we're in now.

#coronavirus
#bewustwording
#lockdown
#innerpeace
#charity


Seeking peace in the peace we're in right now.