Wow, it has been a long while since I’ve posted anything on here. I suppose as our lockdown restrictions have eased after 7 months (we are at level 1 here in South Africa) it’s fitting to dust off the virtual shelves of From My Fingertips and bring her out of a very long quarantine.

I’m not going to make excuses for my absence and lack of updates on this platform. I was just not in a space where I could create content for this site and quite frankly I needed the break.

How have you all been? Tell me in the comments.

My mind often goes to January when everyone was going on about “20 plenty” and how 2020 would be their year. Little did we know what awaited us.

In some ways it still doesn’t feel real. All I know is we were at the office on a sunny March day and the powers that be told us to work from home for around 3 weeks. Then President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster followed by a nationwide lockdown and…well here we are.

The ups and downs

It’s seven months later and we’re still essentially locked down (well most of us anyway) and in the middle of a global pandemic that doesn’t have an end date. We’re all hoping for a vaccine so we can do regular things again like go outside without a mask.

I’m not going to lie, there are parts of the physical distancing I enjoy. I’ve always been an excessive hand washer and always kept santiser in my bag. It’s not an adjustment for me because I’ve always been hyperaware and afraid of germs. The new things I enjoy are the queue spacings. My word, it’s wonderful not having someone try to attach themselves to your back like a Kuala hugging a tree. Not shaking hands when meeting someone new is another plus. I don’t know where people’s hands have been. Do they wash it after using the loo? So this new none touching life has its benefits.

Another thing I’ve enjoyed, especially at the beginning of lockdown, was watching so many people discover the joys of cooking and baking. It’s an underrated form of therapy. Soon I’ll share my lockdown cooking adventures. If you’ve been reading this blog you know how I love being in the kitchen.

What I do miss is having a normal day out; where a casual bump into a stranger in a supermarket doesn’t send me into a flat out panic because I’ve just come into contact with a possibly infected person. I miss seeing my family and friends more. Now that we’re at level 1 we see each other a little bit, but still not as much as before. The physical distance in this instance sicks. An elbow tap does not hit the same way as a hug.

I miss wearing lipstick. It’s trivial, I know. But I like makeup, especially lipstick. It’s wasted under my mask so I’ve not used it in a long time. I miss being able to decide on a whim to have a coffee somewhere and then just sit at the place and relax.

Stay safe

I also miss travelling and making travel plans. I’ve been at a couple of places locally for work but it doesn’t feel the same yet. Yes, these place have all the precautions in place, but it’s me. I need to get out of my head and relax but I’m always on guard and cautious (and quite frankly a little paranoid). I’m not sure when I’ll feel comfortable enough to board an aircraft. Perhaps when there’s a vaccine. But flight prices have gone up quite a bit so I’ll make no plans for a while.

What do you miss about the before times?

I do hope you all remain safe and careful. If you have lost a loved one to this awful and unpredictable virus, I am deeply sorry for your loss. If your work has been affected, I pray you find another job better than what was lost. Please all take care of your physical and mental health so we can all come out the other side (whenever that is) as whole as possible.

Much love,

A