Coping with the lockdown

John is a happy go lucky person. He loves life and ensures he always enjoyed his life. He is well known in social circles and always the life of any party. After work each evening he had various things to engage in and his weekends were packed full of activities.

The Coronavirus pandemic has completely changed John’s life in more ways than one. His office has closed down and he cannot work from home and his company is seriously thinking of cutting salaries since they are not making money due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

John is really lock-downed in his house with his wife and three young children. His social activities and weekend jamborees have been cancelled and John is extremely bored. He has to make do with the internet for entertainment and information. He gave up watching television to kill the boredom because he lost the remote control war to his wife and children. If the children are not watching cartoons his wife was watching a movie . . . after all that was the norm before coronavirus brought him into the picture – he was hardly at home before the lockdown so they were not ready to compromise.

John being an absentee husband and father is not finding it funny the way his children were always intruding into his space asking all kinds of questions and always coming to him to settle scores between the three of them. John’s wife was initially glad at her husband being at home more but now hates the idea as he is just cranky always complaining about virtually everything. John’s presence in the house instead of being a blessing has become a serious inconvenience.

John found solace in the internet. The internet has been a great source of information and entertainment. He keeps himself abreast of the news and reports especially about the Coronavirus both locally and internationally. He knows all the symptoms of the disease. He knows the various variants of its manifestations in different countries. He knows the death and recovery rates per country . . . John is almost becoming an expert on Coronavirus.

After about six days at home John noticed he was feeling unusually weak and he was feeling certain discomfort in his throat. He also had a slight headache. John was terrified. His mind went riot and the different things he had learnt about the symptoms of Coronavirus flooded his mind. He was lost in thought . . . “Could he have contracted the virus? Could he have contracted it when he was forced to get critical supplies for the family the other week?  Would what he was feeling graduate to him being tested positive for the virus? Was he going to die?”

John was extremely worried but was too scared to tell his wife more so the wife was in a silent treatment mode with him because he shouted at her before the children for no just cause.

After about four days of torturous thoughts he summoned courage to call a doctor friend to confide in him. The doctor came over and after examining John he told John he only had a sore throat.

 

MORALE OF THE STORY

1. Don’t be an absentee father, husband, wife or mother.
2. Spend time with your family.
3. Don’t use silent treatment against your spouse.
4. Don’t overload your mind with too much negative information on Coronavirus
5. If you feel unwell seek medical advice.
6. Don’t allow fear into your heart

Please stay safe and keep to regulations at this critical time and be assured “there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” Psalm 91.10

For enquiries and/ comments please send email to charismokola @yahoo.com

 

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