At the start of this year, I wrote a post about getting 20/20 vision to help focus on the year ahead with positivity. I definitely didn’t have 20/20 vision when I wrote that! I didn’t expect us to be dealing with a frightening pandemic. We’re into April now and I wish we had a reset button so we could restart 2020.
Please, Could Someone Press the Reset Button on 2020?
Due to coronavirus, our lives are filled will stress, worry and anxiety for our own health and that of the people we love and care about. People are losing loved ones and not getting the chance to say goodbye. They can’t comfort them when they are ill or dying and they themselves cannot be comforted because of the lockdown and social distancing measures.
‘Normal’ health issues sometimes feel as though they are almost insignificant even though they aren’t. We’re often unable to see doctors or even get treatments or surgeries we need. There are queues to get food and medication, shops are closed, businesses have shut down and people have lost their jobs.
The financial and emotional impact of this will be felt for a long time.
Life still goes on but it has changed for everyone over the last few weeks. Is it any wonder that I wish we could just press a reset button to restart 2020?
Other Things Have a Reset Button
Earlier today, I tried to print something. Nothing happened. Instinctively, I switched the printer off, then switched it back on. It worked.
I say instinctively because when any piece of electric equipment breaks down, that seems to be the magic solution.
When our Sky box stops working, we switch it off, wait for five minutes, then turn it back on. If the wifi or computer stop working, we do the same.
It’s even the official advice from companies if you contact them about a faulty product. Switching it off and back on seems to reset the piece of equipment and brings it back to life.
Life Needs a Reset Button
A reset button would be handy in life. It would allow us to delete the bad parts and start afresh with a clean bill of health.
But right now, I wish we had a reset button so we could fix this nightmare of a year.
Imagine being able to flick a switch so we could restart 2020 to get a clean slate.
A fresh 2020 without this devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Pause or Fast Forward Life
A pause button could also help.
If we could pause everything for a while it would allow the medical staff and other essential workers to catch their breath. It would let scientists around the world put their heads together and come up with a viable plan to tackle the pandemic.
If we can’t have that, then perhaps we could have a fast forward button that would allow us to wake up from this awful nightmare. We could simply jump ahead to a better time when there is a vaccine available.
Stay Hopeful
Unfortunately, life doesn’t have a reset button so we can’t restart 2020. And we are unable to press pause or fast forward to make it any easier to deal with.
All we can do is ride the storm and hope that better days will come soon.
We need to hold on to that hope.
We need to believe that life will return to normal.
We also need to do whatever it takes to stay safe.
Stay Safe
‘Stay Safe’ is probably my most used phrase lately. Not just mine. I see it written countless times every day on social media posts. ‘Stay Safe’ has become the new way to sign off emails and messages.
One of the most difficult things right now is that we can’t meet up with the people we love unless they live in our own homes. We can’t hug people or even go too close to them because of social distancing. It’s difficult, but it needs to be done.
‘Stay safe’ are two of the kindest words to use right now. In fact, saying them is almost like giving that hug we can’t give.
So please, stay safe.
Struggling to cope with the lockdown and isolation? Click here for some tips
The 2020 Problem: Have you tried turning it off and back on again? If all else fails, go back to bed & hope that when you wake up it was all just a bad dream.
It’s hard to believe how this situation has spiralled and just how deep the ramifications run, how far the pain and anger and sadness spreads. But you are so right about that hope. In the darkest of times, hope can feel so far away, and yet it’s in those times that we most need to hold on to it. Nurture it, keep the flame flickering. Never give up on the hope for those brighter days. It’s hard to imagine how this will end but it will, and we just need to remember that and do what we can to look after ourselves and others in the meantime.
How’re you getting on with getting the essentials, do you have everything you need? Are you able to get online deliveries? Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, or if you ever just need to chat. Sending hugs, Liz. Stay safe and as well as possible.. ♥
Caz xx
It’s awful, isn’t it, Caz? And I think people will feel the effects for a long time. I hate to imagine the impact on mental health.
We’re fine here. Actually, we’re pretty lucky. Living where we live, we’ve always had to prepare for bad weather because if we get bad snow, we can’t get out for weeks sometimes. So we tend to always be pretty stocked up with basics.
I hope you’re doing okay. Stay safe x
What a great post Liz, thank you, I wish we could turn it off and turn it back on again, do we think people will start to slow down now and be a little more understanding of others or just go back to their hectic lives with no consideration for others when this is all over? Sadly I feel it might be the latter, stay safe xx
Oh, I don’t know Rachael. I hope there is still community spirit because I think people will need each other for a long time after this. Thank you and stay safe x
The hardest part for me is not being able to be with family. I am thankful to have my husband and daughter with me, but having to cancel a trip to see my mom, son, and daughter in-law was and is tough. I hate not knowing how long it will be until I can hug them again.
We’ve said we need to restart 2020. It’s been absolutely rubbish so far. But we need to focus on the good stuff and know that things will get better. Great post and inspiration Liz ?
This has been quite the year so far hasn’t it? NY is about 55 days or so into quarantine and we are scheduled to be inside until at least May 15th with the exception of necessities. A reset button would be an amazing thing to have right now. I think if it were possible maybe here we woudl have closed the country sooner or forced everyone inside the house sooner. NY has over 250,000 cases which is an almost unheard of number. I don’t see an end to this and at some point we are going to have to leave again. God bless us all when that time comes. In the meantime stay safe
This year is definitely different. From mid-February on, I’ve only spent 7 days with my students in person. I don’t know that I would want a reset though. The broken arm and subsequent pandemic allowed me to spend 7 weeks with the grandchildren who live 1500 miles away. The stay at home orders are tough, but we will get through this. I was afraid the first three weeks, but now I’m much more optimistic.
This year is definitely something. It was not easy for my family ever since it started, I did hoped it would turn for the better but alas it didn’t. It only started getting better and quarantine happened. Bam!
I love that you said ‘stay safe’ is like the hug we can’t give. That’s a wonderful way to think about it. It really is a scary time, but we will definitely get through it. It might take a while, but eventually, it will pass and we’ll all be more glad than ever to see our friends and family in person. Stay safe 🙂
Oh how nice it would be if we DID have access to a reset button, wouldn’t it? It’s hard to believe that everything is so crazy right now! While our lives have certainly changed dramatically, we’ve been lucky. We’ve taken a pay cut (a big one) but we can still make our bills. My husband is still working outside the home, but he’s not on the front lines. We have a back yard that we can spend time in and an incredibly supportive community that has come together to care for one another when needed (like the neighbour that picked up dog food for us when we were having a hard time tracking down the exact food my dog needs due to her allergies). That being said, we’re left here wondering what our new ‘normal’ is going to be like when things do start to open back up again… They are talking about an ‘exit’ plan, a plan to reopen the province. But then what? it’s the unknown that gets me more than anything!
Ahhh wouldn’t that be nice. While I’m thrilled to have gotten pregnant in January (precovid), I would love to reset or fast forward to after this is over. Although, it is nice having so much family time!
Oh how I would love a reset button on this year! I would have done a lot of things differently. I’m finding it weird to be so picky about who I spend my time with. With Nathan still working, I can’t risk him getting sick at all. So when a friend wants to hang out, I’m just stuck saying no because I see them going out and about, not maintaining distance at all, and I worry they are just making bad decisions and I want nothing to do with it. I’ve got two friends I am comfortable being near right now, and that is it. I keep looking forward to the time when I can see everyone I want to and hug them tight. I know it is coming, but I’m impatient. But also grateful for everyone who is working right now and the measures they are taking to keep us all safe.
I find myself giving a lot of virtual hugs recently and reaching out to people to check in with them. I came to terms with the fact that this is like a collective type of trauma and to go easy on myself. I’d been kicking myself for not being as creative as usual or for feeling all over the place, but now I’m focused on just staying hopeful for the future. In a strange way this pandemic is like a reset exposing flaws in our systems and when this is all over I hope we all change for the better.