This surreal pandemic experience

Tomorrow will be a good day:
Captain Tom Moore was among the heroes who
were a light to the world during the pandemic

Did it all really happen? I ask myself.
The past four months feel like a surreal dream, in which we have all been cocooned in an isolated lifestyle, a globally shared singular experience the like of which has never happened in living memory.

From watching, with unusual interest, each turn and twist in the daily news, to cheering for heroes - the NHS, and Captain (now Sir) Tom Moore, who was a light to the world and told us "Tomorrow will be a good day".

We witnessed images of city streets deserted, and stared at the blue sky, glorious and untrammelled by the vapor trails of planes.

The world took on a hush and the sounds of nature, of wildlife and birdsong, came to the fore to soothe our anxious minds.

Who will ever forget the children's rainbow artwork for the NHS adorning countless windows and doors. They brought joy and a feeling of togetherness and hope, and lifted my spirit when I saw them while travelling on a near empty bus, through a subdued land, for a rare grocery errand.

Yes, the land was subdued, but also recharging. Values about what is important in life and what are mere niceties or extravagancies, were being challenged.

There has been a recalibrating of what we know, love and cherish; a greater appreciation for the wonder of life and the world, and for the people we see, often in fleeting glimpses, but who are sharing the all-encompassing experience that defines the moment and will be remembered for as long as those us here today are still around.

Did it all really happen, this global coronavirus pandemic? The rainbows in the windows say yes.