Diary Entries

November, peeks out from underneath The covid cover Dangling freedom with a wistful eye Change has brought us to a placid insecurity About our future and the way we view our lives. Sift far beneath the layers of troubled news and find a small round, smoothed truth that shines golden through the mess of life, gives hope a new power, a different name, a thread to cling to in the swirling chaos of our days

2020, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. I am privileged to be both an nurse and a midwife. 2020 started as 2019 ended with devastating fires, little did I know that this year would be a year never to forget. Covid-19 has struck. Observing people buying rolls and rolls of toilet paper has provided a insight in human behaviour. The hoarding has been amazing and I have not been able to make sense of it. For myself, life hasn't changed too much and I am truly grateful. I am not in isolation, I am still working full time with a wonderful team of nurses. Sure I am grieving the inability to see my 4 children, my 3 grandchildren and I am not, by choice, seeing my partner as he is classified as high risk. It has been lonely, but I am one of the lucky ones...I still have work and everything that security brings...so do my children and their partners....and access to technology to keep us in touch. I am not on the frontline as such but still am part of an essential service responsible for the support of women and their families following birth of their babies. Babies don't stop being born because of a pandemic. Providing support during this intimate and special time via telehealth has it's challenges...Trying to socially distance and only being able to spend 15 minutes in close contact either during home visits or in clinic appointments and virtual parenting groups has been a huge change in practice for the child and family health nurses and they have embraced it well. We have seen an increase in postnatal depression, and sadly Domestic Violence. Our service has changed...our lives have changed..but we will come through this and hopefully for the better.

Being 15 (almost 16) this year has been one of which I'm almost certain I won't forget already! I remember sitting on a bus in February and wondering if this new thing, Corona Virus will end up having an impact here in Australia. Well it sure did, for me coming into 2020 I wanted to get my first proper job (which is virtually impossible now), travel before year 11 (also impossible) and to do well in school. School is definitely different, online learning has definitely taken over. I am lucky enough to go to a private school and most of our classes happen over Zoom, on Zoom you are able to interact with your class and teacher online within a meeting. As for private music lessons they too happen online, although it can be quite difficult at times and with sport you can basically only do fitness. As much as it seems like this time would be a nice break from day to day life, sadness seems to fill this time more than anything else for many. I personally feel very lucky for my family to be safe and to live in this country during these times, rather than the US or Italy. However I feel as though my grandparents are feeling rather lonely and understandably so. Mental health is having an profound effect on so many. I believe that this pandemic will forever change my generation. Just enjoying the little things will most likely be our motto. I honestly can't wait to just go to the beach or shopping again with my friends (as much as I love watching TikToks and writing random songs in my room). I know 'normal' will look a lot different moving forward but I can't wait for it regardless.

How long has it been since I've been to work? I lost count after week 2, the only thing that's keeping me aware of the days, are those Instagram games where you pick a song for each day for 30 days. 30th day is tomorrow. I wonder what I could do after that? I thought isolation would bring throw me in a spiral, but it's actually done wonders. Being at home grants me time to do things I never had the time to do. Fully clean the house, listen to new music, read, even shave my head! I took up art again, stopped writing for a bit, finally gave my dog a bath but he still needs to visit pet barn soon. I don't miss my friends, I miss going out and just being by myself. I miss my room though, sleeping on my mums' couch isn't ideal, but anything to protect my grandparents for a while. I miss the world. If only this virus would go to a galaxy far far away...

Sixty something female, happily married to the love of my life since 2007. So much to be thankful for in life. 6 great kids who are all independent. A lovely home, no debt with wonderful neighbors. Relatively good health if you don't count sciatica, bad back & dodgey knees. This time last year we were packing for an 8 week dream holiday to Europe, UK & Singapore which was amazing. I am working but hubby isn't , for the first time in his life this week Centrelink will help him out. As we were both married before, we both planned on/need to work until pension age (67) Our plan at the end of this crisis is to travel more. Let's hope this is all over as quickly as it arrived.

We have been stuck at home for almost two months now. Spending this much time with my family is precious. We have been doing online schooling for over a month now and next week we will be going back to school for one day a week. Everyone is excited to see each other and be in routine. The virus came out of no where and Australia has coped very well with the never ending changes. Other countries haven’t been as lucky. I can’t wait until this is all over, and people can socialise and do day to day activities again. Currently, we cannot go out of the house unless we are going exercising, shopping, visiting relatives houses and, if needed, school and work. Supplies have started to come back into the shops at normal rates. We now have enough hand sanitiser, food and toilet paper available to everyone. Flu shots are running short as everyone wanted to get theirs before the flu season started. We are forever grateful for the endless work of the front line workers such as nurses, doctors, shop workers, nursing home and aged care workers and many more.

A whisper on the news of something happening in China, intrigued I started to check Twitter…Keeping me up at night, this became a nightly 2am check. Pictures of incomprehensible devastation created a thirst for more credible knowledge, more research and questioning of will it come here. The whispers slowly became louder. Hand sanitizer become scarce. Surely not in Australia. A story of someone held up for toilet paper in Singapore. What? So a few extra items bought on way home each night. A way of dealing with the internal panic of what might be coming. Looking at people going about their shopping, oblivious to the incoming threat and wondering when will they realize things are about to change? Then slowly a sense of calm came over me, but it seemed everyone else was now realizing the threat. Fights in Australia over toilet paper. I understood why. Then haters against those panic buying. But didn’t they understand they are just scared? I now had a motto “a little bit of control what you can control, a little bit of ‘what will be will be’, and just enjoy the gift of each day. Be kind, compassionate and support those more vulnerable. Share your toilet paper and sanitizer with your elderly neighbor. Take the chance to #bebetter”. Sadness that our elderly are vulnerable but deep gratitude of how lucky we are to be in Australia, to have the support we have and this rare opportunity to take time to pause and reflect on how we might be better when this all over. Disruption creates opportunity - what opportunity will come from this? Perhaps just as we have listened to the scientists to keep us safe during this pandemic, we can listen to their expertise for climate change…and we change our behaviors and #becomebetter

I am 21 years old. I am a preschool teacher and have Lost my job. I have been home for 10 weeks and counting. Isolating due to health issues. I have a compromised immune system.

May we never again take for granted: A crowded train A waiting room A long queue Or even A meeting that could have been an email We once spent our days waiting for 5pm Now; trapped at arms reach we long for connection to those who feel like home.

Whilst isolation has proven a challenge to the mind I've found epiphanies in the shadows of loneliness. I have discovered a useful manifesto for existence. That to live amongst nature, to find inspiration in art and music is really all one can wish for besides companionship to accompany it. Companionship need not come in the form of devotion from another, simply an unwavering love for others. A life cannot be lived in constant anticipation of fulfilment, one must take agency by the hands and guide it towards the world in which they want to live. These words have provided me with perspective in a time where their message seems so distant.