It take some effort to quite remember what day it is and how many weeks we are in to lockdown, even as it begins to ease.
We have run every day (except one) and so I do know that this morning's non-parkrun was #9 (edit - I now realise it was #11! Totally lost track of the weeks). That has been a real blessing - to be able to get out every day and feel something at least has been achieved. It took some time for my stretching routine to catch up with the increased demand, but all good now.
I have slowed in my rate of reading books - I finished the ones which had been hanging around half-read for a while, but am keeping going. We also set out to enjoy some of the theatre being shown on YouTube, and have really valued that (especially being able to spread a Shakespeare over a couple of evenings and enjoy a longer interval if needed).
I intended to invest time in working on my photography. The demand for videos has meant my cameras have been very busy, but my time to do my own thing has been minimal. It felt like I almost broke my brain at one stage learning to edit video on the hoof and cope with the demand for uploads, and so I am not sure I have the capacity to do the same in learning how to use music creation software such as Ableton Live - as much as I'd like to.
Had times been how we expected a couple of months ago, I would by now be on my second week of three month Extended Ministerial Development Leave but there's not much point being away if you can't be away. Plans on hold and my trip to the Silk Road postponed for now. Likewise, the campervan trip to Ireland has been put back to 2021 as we don't know if and when campsites will be reopening.
There has been real encouragement in seeing the resilience in the Church Family and in the continued commitment within the town to support those in need through Foodbank. I was really touched to receive recognition from the Town Council, although the other recipients seem far more worthy!
I realised early on that in some of the on-line services and prayer times we led I would say something about really looking forward to being back in our Church building (a familiar location) alongside the Church family (a familiar group of people) worshipping together as we are accustomed, but that isn't going to happen for a long time, I fear. I read recently about how crisis accelerates change, and so this has to be the opportunity to make something new. We miss the intimacy of being together, but we also value the porous boundaries on-line Church life has brought about. This also brings about a host of challenges - for example, how to grow disciples in an on-line environment? There are quite a few things that need to be thought about quite carefully. Even if some of us are allowed back into the building, how do we take everyone (even those who need to continue to be careful about the virus) with us? How can we do this with limited resources for expenditure on equipment for live-streaming, and the limited technical resources of skills to film, edit, publish and so forth?
I am aware of how well (comparatively) Schools have coped with the rapidly developing scene. This has been aided significantly by a strong sense of the values and this has allowed quick decision making. I am not sure we are quite so sharp on these. There's still much to do, and I am aware that the 5" pile of paperwork that seemed to be incredibly urgent up until the middle of March has been untouched since. There is a sense of relief in that, but also an awareness that priorities might move on from simply keeping going.
We are safe and well, so there is much to be thankful!
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