By the time you read this you are probably self-isolating after having panic bought bleach and rubber gloves. Personally I’m sticking to beer and Haribo.
It does show the fragility of how we have become so accustomed to convenience. Although I can’t make an objective judgement, it does rather seem that we are lurching from one crisis to another. I mean, I thought the year of Brexit was bad. My conspiracy-theory brain went into overload this month.
For World Book Day we discouraged the normal competitive dressing up. Who would have thought that a project aimed at supporting children to read would have become such a commercial success for fancy dress? Instead we encouraged children to bring in a picture of their ‘hero’. What was so heart-warming was so many children brought in a picture of their mum or dad. When I asked one little girl why she brought in a photo of her dad, she looked at me as if I was slightly dim and just said, ‘He’s my dad, he’s special’, as if (as we sometimes do) I had asked her what colour her T-shirt was. Surely it was obvious?
A lesson can be learnt here. We need to pay more attention to the people we care about in the world directly around us. A crisis is good for that; you begin to reassess your priorities. How we behave and how tuned in we are to the present is what’s important.
It’s so easy to become distracted about whether the Amazon Prime delivery is on time. Very young children keep you real – what happens in the present is the singular most important thing. Our job as their mentors and role models is to help them put that into perspective.
So, think of your hero. I bet it isn’t anyone currently in Government.
Originally, I chose Nelson Mandela, but on reflection, I never met him and it’s probably important to know your hero. My hero or heroes are those who in our British way just keep calm and carry on. The people who turn up every day at work, give their granny a lift to the supermarket, ask how you are and genuinely mean it. The little people – they are the ones we can rely on. So, for inspiration, in potentially difficult times, look at the faces as they come in on a Monday morning, for some you may well be their hero.
Oh… and don’t forget to wash your hands.
