Turn And Face The Strange

We live in some very strange times at the moment. For the majority of people life has completely changed even just from the basics of their daily routine. I’m being asked so often about how much my work has changed and what impact the pandemic has had.

So many thoughtful and lovely gifts received by my team and I! THANK YOU!

I think that probably one of the biggest changes is that my free time used to be very much taken for granted not just by myself but by those around me. Now I feel like outside of work I’m in a constant battle to achieve the rest and recovery I need but also feel like I’m doing what I need to do. Yesterday, finally, I stopped craving all the cake and pizza the world could offer because my body was crying out for something else. I knew that would happen eventually, but I also knew I couldn’t force it! Telling myself I had to eat the salad would have made me grumpy, I needed to wait until I asked for the salad myself.

This week’s colouring in saw a horse who couldn’t wear roller skates

I do not worry about catching the virus from the deceased. I wear the PPE I am lucky compared to some people to have, and the deceased are not coughing or badly washing their hands. I am far more fearful of the living. My anxiety about leaving the house has increased massively, and just going to Tesco has become almost an ordeal I have to convince myself to go through. I’m very aware that I am an infection risk, not because of my exposure to the deceased but my heightened exposure to the living. Then I worry about infecting other people around me, or stupid things like infecting the cats somehow. The Tesco NHS hour on a Sunday has been amazing however when I am able to go and I cannot thank the staff there enough for what they do.

I am loving how many people are getting out and enjoying the countryside. Green spaces are so important right now.

Last thing I would like to say today, I think the hardest thing right now is speaking with or knowing what bereaved families are going through right now. The change in how funerals are conducted alone is massive, with only a few or if any family members permitted while all socially distancing. I know the majority of funeral directors are not allowing viewings and we are unable to as part of the hospital lockdown. While all of these changes are to protect the living from each other and little to do with the deceased, I think the impact to the bereaved will be huge. A lot of people feel unable to grieve or pay their respects properly.

I am pleased to see the changes announced in terms of cemeteries being reopened and families getting more support in these times. It is too late for many people but I hope that they will be able to find peace in memorials or gatherings once this quarantine is over. I have seen a few Funeral Director companies tweet that they want to bring back the tradition of taking a moment when a hearse passes you in the street and I think that is a fabulous idea. We need to find new ways of mourning and respecting the dead when we find ourselves unable to do as planned.

Douch Family Funeral Directors

These may be strange times but I think people are really great at adapting to change even if they don’t think they can. My blog posts will no doubt be irregular over the coming weeks and seem disjointed for a while but I’m pretty much combining all my thoughts in notes then publishing them as I go. If there’s any specific you would like to know that I haven’t covered please let me know in comments or through the contact page. Lastly, welcome to all my new followers who have arrived in the last week! Thank you so much for your well wishes and support.

MG x