I wanted to share with you all the theme of a post I put on Facebook last week.
I took the above picture in my hour of outdoor exercise and it made me reflect on how grateful I am that I live right next to the river and have access to our wonderful countryside from my front door. How grateful I am that I have a garden and space in my home to run online classes.
But not everybody does.
My heart goes out to those who live in high rise flats with no gardens, live in inner cities with maybe a tiny backyard – they have nowhere to go but to their green spaces and parks, they don’t have the luxury that I have of walking by the river or walking in the countryside or even walking around a lovely village – that is not available to them. I have seen numerous posts of pictures of people in parks/green spaces BUT they have been social distancing and then being slammed for being in a public place, let’s not forget we don’t know where these people live or the conditions they live in. Let’s be clear I am not talking about those that have been flocking to the beach, the peak district etc – that I think we all agree is foolish, selfish and putting peoples lives at risk. I’m concerned for those that don’t have anywhere to go and are escaping to their local green space, social distancing and being judged for it.
A simple truth – Staying at home is NOT equal for all.
Some of us have gardens, walks right outside our houses, some of us have plenty of space in our homes, some of us don’t have to worry about money, or domestic violence. Some of us are able to stimulate our children and keep them happily engaged, some of us have internet and access to a variety of online classes and connection, some of us feel safe, some of us feel happy, some of us can cook nutritious food from scratch. Some of us do not live alone, some of us have close family connections, some of us have pets to love and for companionship, some of us know how to budget, some of us have had great education that serves us well, some of us are able to use our time well. Some of us are healthy, some of us know how to boost our immunity, some of us are not scared, some of us can use the tools we have been taught to help us through.
But not everybody does.
Less judgement and more kindness to help everyone get through this is what’s needed.
Staying home for all is NOT equal.
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter, albeit a rather strange one!