As we reel under the latest impact of the Coronavirus and the rapid changes to our daily lives, now is the time for us to come together and find ways in which we can all serve our communities better.

It is time to strengthen the bonds of friendship, family ties and neighbourhood relationships.

We must act not out of panic or self-interest but with calmness and measure and realise that whether we like it or not, for the very first time in our lifetimes that we as a human race are all truly in this situation together.

Some of the figures being released are indeed sobering and downright disturbing, as some epidemiologists estimate that 40–70% of the world’s population is likely to get it before we are finally through the worst.

Therefore, we must collaborate and work with each other in ways that have never been done before and on the scale that this virus is going to demand of us in the Months Ahead.

 This is further echoed by Chancellor Merkel’s statement that up to 70% of Germans could contract the virus and the rapidity of the spread will mean more and more of us are going to be faced with a very uncertain future.

By now we should be urgently focusing on taking action to slow the spread, so that the peak of the pandemic is delayed long enough to enable our medical services to better cope.

Grim as this may sound – The slower the build up to the peak, the better we can weather this and the fewer who will die.

It is both our civic and our moral duty to protect our elders and those sick among us as much as we can and to delay the spread for as long as we can.

On a positive note though, if self-isolation and social-distancing are to become a facet of our daily lives in the months ahead perhaps it is time to reignite those long-put off dreams and aspirations and  spend the time as productively as possible by:

• Writing – That long dreamt of book/novel

• Learning – Taking that skills/language course

• Blogging – Starting a blog around your hobbies & interests

• Cooking – Taking your culinary skills to the next level

• DIY – Tackling those nagging household tasks

• Gardening – Spending time outdoors

• Pleasure – Fulfilling your dreams of playing the piano/ guitar etc.

• Renewing – Lapsed social connections online

Remember, every crisis carries with it the seeds of opportunity and this is no different.

So, unleash your creativity and your care, and let us not mark 2020 as a year just beset by global tragedy but as one that also gave birth to a new collaborative, higher conscious and sustainable way of living.

Here’s wishing you all nothing but the very best in months ahead.

Please feel free to get in touch or pass this on if you think that it might help someone.

Stay safe and be well…