That Friday Feeling

 Did you have that Friday feeling? 

It was the end of the day and everyone was cheerful, happy and excited for their weekends. It had felt like a long first week back at school but also a long week for everyone else. 

There had been so much information for our brains to process. It was only last Saturday that Boris, Whitty and Valance gave their, ‘look at these scary slides that you can’t read’ conference and told us all we had to stay in again. We spent the week trying to process what this meant. For me, it looked like I wouldn’t be able to teach my flute pupils but their exams would still take place (which I had a hard time understanding). So much changed within the week. The guidance and advice about who could work and who couldn’t flipped and flopped more than a recently caught fish on the riverbank.

I spent a lot of time worrying about people who would be affected by this more than I am and eventually had to get a bit selfish and remember that I’m in a very privileged position to get some peace. I’m so lucky to live in a town with only 40 cases, where the rates don’t appear to be rising exponentially. I’m lucky that 3/4 of my income comes from a school based job and that I’m perfectly able to survive without the rest. I’m lucky that I don’t live alone and lucky that my house is a nice place to be, if I have to stay at home. I’m lucky that I live in a beautiful place with plenty of walking opportunities and excellent take-aways. There is still a little part of me that is sad and confused for the people who aren’t as lucky as me but I just had to stop worrying about it. 

Then there was the American election: Just more confusion. Our brains were reeling; the filing clerk was getting overwhelmed with all the paperwork; “Where do I file electoral college?” it asked. We were confused about how close it all seemed, about why they announce the numbers as they are counting and why it’s up to CNN to declare the winner. It looks like it’s going to be Biden but it is still too close to call and I don’t really blame Trump for holding on for long enough to see if it swaps round again. I have the image of the flip-flopping fish on the riverbank again. 

Our national lockdown part 2 started on Thursday and for those of us at work it hasn’t felt any different.

I was surprised about that Friday feeling that everyone seemed to have. 

“Have a nice weekend. Are you doing anything nice?” people chirruped as they left.

It seemed like such a weird question. Enjoy doing nothing. No going to the pub or out to dinner or having your mates round to sample the gin advent calendar you bought to mark the 4 weeks of lockdown. No playing football, golf or completing the virtual swim around the Cook Islands.  

All we can do is stay in, get a takeaway, read books, go for walks, play board games, sweep the leaves up in the garden, feed the birds, eat chocolate, drink all the gin from our lockdown calendar ourselves and watch Netflix in our pyjamas.

No wonder everyone is so cheerful. It sounds like just what we need, after all the thinking we’ve had to do. It’s time to stop flip-flopping about on the edge of the pond. Someone has kicked us back in the water and we can stay there all weekend.