In regional Victoria our restrictions have been eased for a while but until this week I realised that we were still living life as hermits. Not seeing people, not going out and just generally being behind closed doors.
Why? I believe this is an unintentional side effect of the pandemic. A lot of people are surely experiencing this. It's not that I am scared. I think I just got used to being comfortable at home and Facetiming to see everyone. Coming out of lockdown is different for everyone. People are attending glorious picnics and restaurants whilst others are still being a bit cautious and hermit-like. In my heart I know I feel like I am still in Melbourne Metro which probably has something to do with it too. We had put the level 4 restrictions on ourselves even though we didn't have to because that's what our families and friends were going through and regional life is still new to us.
I sat down late last week and decided that it was time to explore, be out in nature and see what wonders lie on our doorsteps that are still safe and fun, family activities. I've been googling my heart out finding some cool spots to visit as they open.
#1 Strawberry picking.
On Saturday we had an outing to a Strawberry farm. It was lovely to be out in nature and fresh air with other people of the public and experience something altogether that we had not done before. It was beautiful and we found our moods were instantly serene.
I also very excited to say that the band of steel around regional Victoria has lifted so within the next few days/weeks we will see our family and friends for the first time in 4 months!
The energy in the air is different and the future is hopeful. I can't wait to be able to show people our home, our neighbourhood and welcome people to a slightly quieter side of life as well as revisit the big city and my old stomping ground in moderation.
In conclusion, it's ok to embrace the hermit, I've actually become quite fond of it.
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