Different boat, same sea?

 In the first lockdown, people kept saying that we were all in this together, until people pointed out that we might all be in the same sea but some of us had considerably better boats than others. It was hard for many people to understand. I mean, why would you try to cross the Atlantic in a leaky canoe? Surely, it would be more sensible to take the ocean liner. But some people didn’t have access to an ocean liner. 

Now, in lockdown 3, I’m not sure we are all in the same sea anymore. Some people are stuck in the Panama Canal, while others are floating happily in the Dead Sea. The differences are huge and growing. There are people who are going to work, making lots of money, moving house  and living with people they like.  These people have good broadband, lots of devices, kids who just get on with the work and enough money to pay the bills even if they couldn’t work for a year. Then there are people who are alone, who haven’t worked for a year, who might not be entitled to government help because they weren’t working for long enough, who are watching their business slowly dying. Their children might be talking to crack dealers via Fortnite, while they are working 12 hour shifts in a care home for violent teenage boys, who know nothing about social distancing but are very good at administering an ‘accidental’ bruise or two., if the internet signal is strong enough. They probably didn’t have enough money before all this started and are choosing to feed the kids, rather than themselves. They are stuck at home, in winter and can’t put the heating on.

If you are in a different sea then it might be very difficult to understand what other people are going through.

In our house, we appear to be in the Royal yacht on the park boating lake, which also brings its own challenges. You would think that as we were in the same water and the same boat we would feel the same but I realised that I have a much better deal than the Long Suffering Husband. I get to talk to small people on the telephone every day . 

I try to share some of the funny things that happen, mainly so we have something to talk about, other than what we are going to eat next.  

I’ve been teaching the flute over Zoom, which is terrible for the ears but can be quite funny. Suddenly, a pupil might disappear for a while, coming back with music, or announcing they have just been to the toilet. The sound can appear to cut out and you are never sure if they are just pretending to play to you and some just love having fun with backgrounds and the chat facility. The other day, one of my pupils spent the lesson changing her screen name. It started out as her dad’s name and went through a variety of changes during the lesson. At one point it said, “I blow best,” and I kept thinking that I hope her dad noticed it before his next meeting.

When the cat video appeared yesterday I was reminded of this. I showed it to the LSH and told him about my pupil. We laughed. My friends all sent me the cat video and I told them about my pupil. 

We might all be in a different sea but the internet is being very helpful. The shared experience of Jackie Weaver, I am live, I’m not a cat and baked beans on Weetabix is keeping us all sane. 

I do worry that the internet might have lost the plot. It has been working extra hard lately. Let’s hope it gets a good long rest soon.