In the last five or six days I’ve ‘met’ so many people from my community . I’ve had in depth conversations with people who were total strangers a week ago .
I’ve seen food and groceries offered from so many sources, my grandmother has been offered food and newspaper deliveries from several shops . People offering to help others obtain prescriptions . An emergency food bank in the shop . I’ve seen my neighbours offering each other help, friendship and groceries .
Local exercise groups doing online classes, churches doing sermons that we can all tune into, friends are offering to do online tutoring in whatever they can for children that can’t go into school .
I’ve been told if my mum needs anything at all, the store employees at one shop in town will try to get it for her and arrange for delivery, somehow, as she’s vulnerable with disabilities so doesn’t feel able to go to the supermarkets now .
My sisters’ carers, phoning us daily, doing everything they can - even helping sister and her flatmate by giving them beauty treatments, planning movie nights, reflexology (sister has severe autism, flatmate has Down’s syndrome) ... one has even offered to cut their hair for them if she can as obviously neither can access their hairdresser .
I’ve suddenly got dozens of phone numbers, names and addresses of people who I didn’t even know existed a week ago - all of whom want to work together . The GP surgery, pharmacy, the police, the coastguard, the wee shops we have, everyone in our tiny little community here (rural Scotland - lots of little villages and one small town) pulling together and offering a hand of friendship .
I know these are horrible, horrible times and it’s so very frightening (particularly if you already have background issues going on), but can you imagine if the world was like this every day - if we always acted with such kindness/selflessness , it’s all just so extraordinary . Why does it have to take disaster and the fear of death for us to pull together like this ?