Finding Positives

AT the time of writing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government have announced the first tentative steps in the easing of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Much remains uncertain about our path through the phased plan and we face continued restrictions for some time to come.

The announcement of daily death tolls remains a grim ritual and it’s desperately sad to think of the many thousands of families affected.

But there is a growing sense of optimism compared to previous weeks. I suspect for many – certainly for me – there’s a new-found appreciation of “local-ness”.

Normally I’m off to the Highlands scaling mountains at every opportunity. Now, my daily walks have been through the woodlands and along the riverbanks around my home in the Trossachs, like the River Forth above.

It’s one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, but somehow it’s easy to take for granted when it’s on your doorstep. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.

Even friends who live in more urban parts have discovered trails and paths in their local areas they never knew about. They’ve discovered that, often, you don’t need to drive miles to go for a walk or run.

Anecdotally, it seems that people are consciously buying local too – whether it be at high street butchers, or veg boxes, eggs and dairy products delivered by local farmers.

It’d be great to see some of that behaviour stick after the pandemic ends. More of us will work from home more often. We don’t need to travel so far so frequently for leisure. We can reduce food miles while putting money into local economies.

The benefits are obvious and there’s a chance for us to become a more resilient, considerate and supportive society once we’re through this.

It’s happening already. Go on social media and search for our #Inthistogetherscotland for inspiring examples of how we’re all helping one another in these difficult times.