Late evening colour from Yorkshire.

It’s been one of those pushing up hill days. School doing as little as possible. A flu jab that ended up being a magical mystery tour around an NHS property – the signs had blown over in a wind storm and countless potential jab recipients were walking aimlessly around a vast site like a scene from ‘Night of the Zombies’ or ‘The Teletubbies’. Then news that Hawklad’s mental health support is getting reduced again. Was supposed to be a couple of yours every week. Then it was reduced to 45 minutes every two weeks. Soon it’s going to 45 minutes every month. Just not enough resources to meet rising mental health needs amongst our young. It’s all about government priorities. Well at least he’s still getting some help, that’s something.

Finally time to relax a bit. Hawklad was watching an Adam Sandler buddy movie. He does make Hawklad laugh a lot. I watch bits of it as I caught up with some housework. Funny how housework doesn’t ever sort itself out.

The movie was all about a group of childhood friends meeting up now they were middle aged. I must admit it got me wistfully thinking about how life has worked out over the last few years. Single parenting, living out in the sticks, a pandemic…. All are the equivalent of the FRIENDSHIP Hulk Buster Suit. Seeing friends has been officially been BUSTED. In over 5 years I’ve had one meet-up with a friend which lasted 2 hours at a so called football match. What I would give now for a few of those Adam Sandler type friend meet-ups. Just his much I would give for just 30 minutes with my best friend. Sadly I bet I’m not the only one feeling this way. These are isolating times.

63 thoughts on “Isolation”

  1. It must be a lot different there compared to Oklahoma. I live in a small town, not too small, we have 1 grocery store, a couple of banks and churches. I do not feel isolated. Things feel about the same as before. I am sorry things are tuff right now, loneliness is tuff on everyone. I am sure it helps to write about.

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  2. Here in Florida it’s like Covid never existed. Our governor is overriding the President with regards to vaccinations . Way too liberal, and in the long run it will hurt our economy, not bring in more money to the state because numbers are going up. Off the soapbox, so huge parties, get together for Thanksgiving, the biggest holiday here, and he is all for it.

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  7. Social distancing is still the name of the game all over, unfortunately. In November’s darkness is time to unwind and relax and it feels ok to withdraw indoors, but not in the summer. Then you long for your friends. Let’s hope next summer will be better and we don’t turn in to hermits.

    I truly wish they don’t reduce the mental services for young ones, anywhere!

    Lovely sky!

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      4. Until I met my present partner, I moved every 7 years or less, just to keep things lively. I started on the Canadian prairies, moved to the west coast, back to the prairies, back to the west coast, then to the east coast, back to the west coast, then to a different part of the prairies. After 7 years with my present partner we moved from the southern border with the USA almost to the northern part of the province. Now we’ve been here 14 years. My feet are itching to move, but she wants to stay. She wins, for now…

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      6. They say our bodies change 100% of our cells every 7 years. I think the earth should change 100% of its cellular population every seven years too.

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  9. Today I venture into the world of poorly persons. With PPE covering my face, 😷 they don’t know my emotions up or down (maybe just as well some days). Their isolation really pangs me to the core, but needs must… STAY SAFE, STAY SAFE, STAY SAFE, STAY SAFE, STAY SAFE… and if there’s another concise way of putting it, I’d say that many times too, but time to go in a few minutes and: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more… Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit to his full height.”

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  13. It is a difficult time in general, now together with your personal situation doesn’t make it any easier. Regarding mental health support, I don’t get it. There are so many children who need that support only due to the pandemic. How can they reduce the support to someone who needed it already before and who needs even more support due to the pandemic? Really, I don’t get this.

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  14. When you’ve got a child who needs you, it is tough meeting your friends. Even without Covid, to the rest of the world it’s like the single parent is infectious with some deadly disease.

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    1. I think this is a common problem. There might be a variety of scenarios behind the scenes which means what you see isn’t always the truth of the matter.

      For example:

      I have a dear friend who never (well, almost never) calls or texts. She is concerned about being in the way – or more generally aware that I’m a busy woman.

      On the other hand, I know someone else who is happy to bombard me with texts all about herself and she is always the one to invite me to do things. Possibly because of an anxiety disorder, she can’t plan a meet up, but as I operate differently there’s no point in me proposing anything. She offers me lots of unsolicited advice and can be generally quite patronising, laughs at my own anxiety issues and doesn’t listen.

      So, maybe if you reframe your friendships you might get a different view?

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