Meeting challenge one day at a time
The Otago Daily Times asks prominent southerners how they have been getting through a year dominated by Covid19.
WHEN I reflect on 2020, I think ‘‘Wow, I did not see that coming’’. Covid19. It would be fair to say I was in a state of numbness and disbelief for some time.
Isurvived by just taking it one day at a time, and every day looking for positive things around me. For the first time in maybe 12 years I had four weeks off. My butcher's shop had to stay closed.
Idiscovered I really liked the quiet (no traffic!) and peacefulness — we had beautiful weather in
Lawrence. I took advantage of this, went for long walks every day. I took photos, and have now made a book from them called Lawrence Lockdown Autumn 2020, which has been
really well received.
Idiscovered I didn’t like watching the news on TV too much. It could be very upsetting and leave you feeling sad for the many people around the world losing their loved ones.
Ithink 2021 will be challenging on a lot of levels. We in New Zealand are very fortunate, and with our Kiwi ‘‘cando’’ attitude will meet them headon. We have a lot of talented people here and good leadership, so I will remain optimistic for the future and continue being grateful that I live in New Zealand.
Our place . . . Lawrence butcher Jan Harper survived 2020 by compiling a photo book of her town during the Covid19 lockdown.