Since the UK coronavirus lockdown was announced, I’ve been doing my best to make the most of our new reality. I’ve thrown myself into virtual activities to try to fill the void of normal social interaction and take my mind off our impending doom.
My boyfriend and I are now part of a weekly virtual quiz and I managed to spend 4 hours on Zoom the other day catching up with friends over a glass of wine (or five – I was pretty tipsy by the time we finally finished!).
While I’m really glad we’re not in lockdown in 2005 when social media and video conferencing were barely in their infancy, I do feel a tinge of sadness as I’m trying to have virtual fun. There’s something about chatting to my family and friends on Zoom that somehow amplifies the fact we don’t know when we’ll be able to see each other. Then my mind goes into overdrive wondering how I would feel if something happens to them before all of this is over.
Then there’s the Virtual Grand National. I’m no gambler but the Grand National is something I always look forward to. There’s just something about shouting at the TV hoping your £2 bet on a 100/1 outsider pays off. While I admire the concept and love that proceeds went to charity, it just wasn’t the same for me. I tried to embrace it, but watching it just made me miss the real deal even more (things weren’t helped by the fact none of my bets came off).
The more I socialise virtually, the more it hits home how much our world has been turned upside down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to keep doing it. We don’t really have much choice at the moment if we want to see familiar faces. I just yearn for a time – hopefully in the not too distant future – when I don’t have to live quite as much of my life through a screen.
