I don’t want to forget this

If you had to choose a picture, one that would remind you of your time in lock down, what would it be?

So many people are facing untold misfortune and hardship, things that we took for granted are no longer there, our safety and security threatened, old routines and ways of doing things turned upside down.

Reflecting over the last 15 days in lock down, what have I learned, what will I continue to do and what do I want to remember. This one picture sums up how I am feeling right now.

The humble veg box delivery!

The fear of not having enough food to feed my family, spending hours online trying to order through my usually supermarket. I had to think differently, where else could I get my food from? Trying new things and changing ways of doing things…I don’t want to forget this.

All those families that have had to use foodbanks to feed their families, I have had a glimpse of what that feels like… I don’t want to forget this.

Being grateful for finding a business whose main customer base disappeared over night. Watts Farm used to supply restaurants and schools, they had to pivot, change direction to save their family business. Supporting local family businesses is now important to me…I don’t want to forget this.

In being only able to order fresh veg I have had to learn to cook daily, be more inventive and try new recipes and instead of throwing things away that were past their best, work out ways to use it all up. I have bought ingredients I have never tried before and I love being vegetarian… I don’t want to forget this.

We have healthy tasty meals and it feels good to be able to spend time in the kitchen rather than rushing to put a ready-made meal in the oven… I don’t want to forget this.

Having a large minimum order, because of the distance they will deliver, has meant I have bought more veg than I actually need, so I have shared with my friends and neighbours. This week I added orders on to my own delivery and delivered it to my neighbours and shared what we didn’t need. Today I created a small veg box (with toilet roll and chocolate!) for someone who lost her job and is isolating on her own.

I have felt connection and gratitude unlike anything else I have felt before. Feeling connection, building new local friendships and being able to help others … I don’t want to forget this.

So what might just look like a photo of a box of veg, represents so much more…Being able to feed my family and others, keeping healthy, being grateful for the availability of fresh veg, supporting local, sharing, reducing waste, time to be creative and ways to think differently…I don’t want to forget any of this.