Chuaigh mé síos fán mbaile inniu...
TÁ an saol athruithe as a riocht iomlán ón am gur chualamar trácht ar an víreas seo. Beagán sa bhreis ar thrí sheachtain ó shin a dearbhaíodh gur tháinig COVID-19 i dtír in Éirinn agus anois níféi dir du lam a china oná it ganéafhei sc int timpeall na h-áite ar phostaeirí, ar an dteilifís, ar an idirlíon, ar na meáin míshoisialta.
Agus cé nach bhfeicimíd an diabhal fridín seo, tá sé i ngach áit ar gach dromchlaí, nó creidimíd go bhfuil is tá sin níos measa.
It goes without saying that our lives have changed utterly since the time we heard about this virus. A little over three weeks ago it was confirmed that COVID-19 had landed in Ireland and now it’s impossible to go out anywhere without seeing the little monster everywhere you look, on posters, on TV, on the sociopathic social media.
And even when we don’t see it - because we can’t - we imagine it’s everywhere, on every surface we touch, and, of course, that’s worse.
Tar éis seachtain sa bhaile, thugas sciúrd ar Bhaile Mhúirne le h-aghaidh roinnt siopadóireachta a dhéanamh. Chun an fhírinne a ínsint, bhíos ag dul síos an bóthar chun a fheiscint an raibh éinne eile ar domhan beo seachas mé féin agus mo chlann. Fiosracht a mhairbh an chat, deirtear, ach fillfimíd ar sin.
After a week holed up in the house, I took a trip down the road, as we say, to the local village to do some shopping. To be completely truthful, it was to see whether there was anybody else in the world alive and walking around apart from my immediate family.
Tá’s agam go mbím ag caint le daoine ar an nguthán agus ag plé leo ar line. Ach ní mar a chéile é sin agus daoine a fheiscint, idir corp agus anam, ós comhair do shúile agus labhairt leo.
I know that I speak with people on the phone or engage with them online every day. It’s not the same thing as seeing people in flesh and blood in front of your eyes and speaking with them.
Ach leanann an saol ar aghaidh. Cinnte tá sé srianta - agus b’fhéidir go mbeidh srianta níos mó arís ar ár saol le cinntiú go mbeimíd ag filleadh ar rud éigean cosúil leis an saol a bhí againn roimh ar thosnaigh seo ar fad. Nó saol níos fearr, níos cineálta, b’fhéidir. Leanann an saol ar aghaidh.
Life goes on, under the necessary constraints and maybe under greater constraints.
Because one day soon we will return to something like our old lives or maybe something even better.
Life will continue until it resumes.