A long haul but let's build a better future

Restrictions on the pandemic lockdown are easing, people are starting to look forward with some hope, society looks a bit like it is ready to press play again. It looks like the virus is under control, at least, for the present and we can start thinking about the future.

Here’s a thing, though - the future isn’t looking all that bright for a whole lot of people. There are folk whose lives won’t be going back to normal or anything like it for a long time. Some are bereaved - deprived of a loved one in circumstances where they never even got the chance to say goodbye. Likewise some have lost a friend and could only stand in the street to watch the cortege pass by. Others will suffer the long term effects of having the virus - effects we don’t know much about yet. Others have lost their livelihoods - businesses they have built up, swept away in the maelstrom or severely damaged; employers having to cut back on staffing levels; some sectors of the economy shrinking so much it’s difficult to tell when they will recover. Even where businesses have survived the customer base may be smaller because money is tight and fewer folk are in work.

The long haul is still ahead of us. We’ve shown that we can help each other. There is hope, just look at how folk reacted in the darkest of times. Let's hang onto that hope, and look to build a better future.