Saying Goodbye to 2020 / BEE positive

PLEASE remind your friends to dispose of their face masks with care:  (see "Correctly dispose of PPE to stop new wave of plastic pollution" )


Source: https://www.mcsuk.org/news/face-coverings

What else is there left to say in a year in which everyone has been touched by some effect of the pandemic?

Let me dwell on the positives.

My husband and I spent the best part of six months straddling 2019/2020 making once/twice-weekly bus trips to the local hospital to support a friend whose mental health, for no apparent reason, took a huge hit. Friends rallied round, prayed, and supported the family.

We saw no apparent progress for weeks and weeks and weeks. Suddenly from about February he began to show improvement, to the point of being discharged -- just before the first lockdown. It would have been impossible to continue to make those visits post-lockdown.

As Christians we are thankful to God for answered prayers. As ordinary human beings, we are thrilled to see how the combination of the right environment, a well-trained medical and nursing staff, and the continuing support of a loving family all contributed to his recovery and subsequent rehabilitation.

There IS hope. As a result of the pandemic, there has been an exponential increase in the number of people -- young ones, in particular -- who are in need of mental health support. Our recent experience proves that there IS hope and we must continue to help and support those who need that support.

A hospital stay should never been seen as a stigma. In our friend's case, it was the only way to break a cycle. He was, clearly, physically and mentally exhausted, and so was his family.

Covid-19: We had been warned right from the end of the first lockdown that there will be a second and even a third wave. So I was amazed to see the number of people who behaved as if the virus will suddenly lose its potency one midnight past midnight because the politicians said we could relax a little.

Could we have avoided the current (third?) lockdown if we were able to keep that social distancing and other anti-Covid disciplines? We will never know.

Still, I must be positive about the vaccines available. Yes, they have just approved the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine today.

Another positive is the number of people taking on new challenges, starting new and innovative businesses because the traditional jobs are gone. This bodes well for the British economy.

Some beekeepers (eg in India) had a difficult time tending their bees during lockdown, but there was a little bit of positive news for wild bees and keepers elsewhere:

There is one silver lining to the COVID-19 emergency. Across the world, as nations went into lockdown, bees and other pollinators are flourishing in the wild, as some of the harmful practices that led to dwindling populations have reduced during the crisis. But as people return to the outside world, any long-term benefits for bees would depend on these changes being carried forward – and the recognition that bees are essential workers for our food security.

            (Source: https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/story/asset/41918963) 

See also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsf4lmHhG3A about beekeepers in Albania.

Brexit has been a touchy issue. As I write, the "Brexit" bill has just been passed. I hope that when the dust has settled, everyone would work towards making it work for everyone else. In business we have mergers and sometimes de-mergers. 

As I support a friend going through the throes of an ugly divorce after months of hoping that they would stay together, there is the same need to move on. Dwelling on her past and "what could have been" would only prolong the pain. In recognizing that her circumstances have changed, the challenges are different, and that goals can be re-set, she has a better chance of finding happiness and success in areas in which she is naturally gifted.

Whether we think of Brexit as divorce or de-merger, I hope and pray that once the ink is dried, all the stakeholders will try to make the best of it, in a fast-changing world. 

Wishing you a much more sane 2021!


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