As I write, England is in the process of lifting its remaining legal restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid, with Scotland moving to Level 0 and similar set to follow in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Whether you see all of this as delicious freedom or a dangerous free-for-all, one thing’s for sure: change is in the air. And with change comes a raft of complicated, overlapping, sometimes confusing emotions. That’s certainly true for me. On the one hand, it brings me great joy to see friends planning Pride trips or dancing ’til dawn as queer nightlife opens up again. At the same time I’m sad and anxious to see others who are struggling and scared about what this easing of restrictions might mean for them.
It’s going to be really difficult to navigate this next phase, but one thing we can all do to make it a little smoother is to check in with each other without judgement. Maybe you can’t wait to get back to normal – whatever that looks like for you. That’s absolutely nfine. But be gentle with your friends and family who might not be where you are just yet.
Likewise, try not to be unkind about those who are making big plans this summer. The pandemic has hit all of us differently, and those experiences will colour how we feel about coming out of lockdown.
We might not be able to control what the government does, what other people do, or how the virus behaves as a result. But we can control our own boundaries and how
we treat other people. So let’s= ride the wave of change and see where it takes us – gently.

Download from:

NitroFlare

• Do It Yourself – July 2021
• Australian Geographic Explorers – July 2021