Photo of Parliament Street in Dublin, by Gregory DALLEAU on Unsplash

Perspective is a wonderful thing. But the downside is that in order to get it, you have to be patient and sometimes endure.

These days I feel blessed.

It’s been ten or twelve years since the global financial crash and although there is still the memory of its worst days in my mind, mostly it’s only a shadow now. The roads as I drove around the city over the last few days, reminded me of that time.

Although many people today might be worried for the future, there seems to me to be a calmness around the place, and that can’t be a bad thing.

The kids can get up in the mornings without being dragged. The pressure to be on top of gymnastics, swimming, rugby, GAA and so on is not there. People are wishing each other well and it seems like they mean it. There’s no rush hour, no road rage, no drama — well, apart from COVID-19.

Are people starting to calm down a little?

Are we finally rediscovering our humanity?

I live on that tiny island off mainland Europe, the one that all my American friends still think is part of Britain. Here, we’re into COVID-19 a couple of weeks now, and we are as close to lockdown as you can get. Thankfully though, it seems that our government has managed to get its shit together fairly sharpish.

There are advantages to being a small nation.

Although cases are rising and people remain vigilant, the mass hysteria I was somewhat expecting to explode, didn’t. There’s is paranoia alright, but perhaps it’s a healthy paranoia.

As I contemplate the challenges of small business owners and employees losing their jobs, I consider myself lucky — no, fortunate. Blind luck has nothing to do with it. Back in the bad old days of 2008 to 2015, I was in the same boat they now find themselves, only back then there was no financial assistance from government.

So in many ways, today is not that bad.

Back then, the banks and Revenue commissioners weren’t so kind to people who lost their job or their business.

Regardless, as I consider the difficult conditions many of you may find yourselves, I have complete empathy.

If it’s of any consolation, I know how you feel.

The good news is, it gets better.

Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff. Every morning you’ll find me sharing a new thought on life, art, work, creativity, the self and the nature of reality on The Reflectionist. I also write on The Creative Mind. If you like this content, join my email list to receive the weekly Sunday Letters