How
to become a hooker
I woke up one morning with an
overwhelming longing for people – real people: not zoom or skype, webinar,
WhatsApp or emails, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. I’m tired of the radio and TV.
They don’t make up for spontaneous smiles, belly-laughs, children’s squeals and
body language like arm-folds, frowns, chin-jerks, and ‘what-Eva's’.
I’m frustrated with working from home. I
miss people – even meetings. That’s how serious this is! My shaggy hair was shapeless. My bed beckoned every time I walked into the room. Last week’s dishes were waiting for me in the sink and it took me oh! so l-o-n-g to do anything. As
SuzelleDIY says: ‘One day you feel fine, the next day you feel depressed, then you
feel happy again and then you feel like you’ve got Coronavirus’.
I am a morning person, but when Covid-19 came to stay, I started waking up in the mornings with a
heavy heart, dread in my step, my intestines tied in a knot and feeling
distinctly nauseous. I wanted to stay in bed. But this didn’t make the monster
COVID go away – in fact, the shadow of doom and gloom grew like a humongous hurricane
hovering on the horizon, and it was coming to get me.
So, like Max, in Maurice Sendak’s
children’s book, 'Where the Wild Things Are', I had to command the monster of
sloth to ‘Be Still!’ and tame it with my magic trick – by staring
into its yellow eyes. Or should I say: face my fears.
It was time for a shake-up and a
make-over. It was time to stop feeling sorry for myself. So, I washed and cut
my hair – I don’t know if that was a good idea, but anyway, now I can see
through my fringe.
Then I thought about what I really
enjoy doing. Something relaxing and inspirational. Something quiet (so I don’t
disturb my man) yet joyful. Something creative and long-term – well, to last through
COVID-19 anyway.
I’ve heard that it helps to learn
something new – so I learned Tunisian crocheting – and I was hooked. Now, when
I get up, I pick up my Tunisian needle and start to crochet. Slowly, slowly I
get hooked into the rhythm crocheting and my mood of doom and gloom slowly
lifts, and I feel more positive about starting the day. When people ask me which hat I’m wearing, I tell them my hooker hat!
How
can this help you? Try these:
- Set goals – with a time-line:
- Find a mentor or muse:
- Reward yourself - have something to look forward to:
- Eat regular, healthy meals:
- Meet one person (mask, social distancing etc.) in person every day and talk about things other than Covid-19:
- Keep-up with your work responsibilities:
- Have a hobby:
- If you’re home-schooling children, see to their needs first – and have regular breaks together:
- When all else fails, go for a walk, eat a bar of chocolate, phone a friend:
Finally. Pray for wisdom, strength,
courage and endurance.
Picture: free clipartix.com
