Will absence make hearts grow fonder?

#The CoronaDiaries

THANKS to the coronavirus, I’m probably getting fitter. I’m doing more exercise than ever before.

Not being able to go to work each morning has introduced a new ritual for me and my wife.

We go for a walk. A simple pleasure which normal life allows little time for.

Just a couple of miles, chatting about this and that; how our granddaughters are going to handle all this home-schooling… when we should venture down to Asda for more milk… what the neighbours are doing… you know, trivia.

But these walks, while pleasant and very relaxing, are also a decidedly strange experience.

We live in a normally busy little village and under normal circumstances, if we walk along the main street we’ll see lots of folk going about their daily business.

Now it’s almost like walking through a deserted film-set. Spooky yet fascinating. Comforting yet disconcerting.

Every familiar sight feels oddly alien at the same time.

The deserted pavements, the empty park, the abandoned children’s playground.

Like the first morning after some sci-fi apocalypse.

All that said, I’ve noticed that people who I don’t know, while careful to keep their distance, seem happier to wave and say hello, almost as if grateful for the unexpected sight of someone else.

Probably natural, after all the isolation we’re enduring.

So while this virus is forcing us apart for now, I wonder if perhaps, when it’s all over, it will have taught us to value each other a little more.

Maybe we’ll walk in a kinder world.

Here’s hoping.