It started with being a good citizen and abiding by lockdown rules but now Bevan Lakay says he will freely give up his freedom.
So, how about 2020…
For a large part of the last few months, we have been asked to embrace our "new normal". I don't think normal is the word, not by any stretch of the imagination.
But we have been asked to, and for periods of the various lockdown levels, been forced to give up freedoms which many of us took for granted.
A curfew? Not sure I've ever had one in my life. But there we were being asked to stay home and not be out between certain hours of the day (night really).
I'm a keen shopper at the best of times, I find it quite therapeutic to go out browse and find something on sale - especially shoes.
But no, we were asked to go out to shops only for essential items, early on at specific times only.
At that point online shopping was also put on hold, not even a simple click-click, buy.
The little joys, the things we honestly take for granted - gone.
‘Harsh' restrictions
In the bigger scheme of things for me, and this is purely a personal take, this wasn't much to give up.
We were asked to be good citizens, so that's what I wanted to be.
And then, what was more controversial for many of course was what was seen to be harsh restrictions on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products.
Now I'm certainly not here to preach about the negative health effect of both alcohol and tobacco - these have been well-documented.
While I understood the logic behind it - the freedom to buy, to consume being taken away did not sit well with me.
Regardless, I, we, begrudgingly accepted, and continued our lives within the parameters of the restrictions within the various lockdown levels.
And as the months passed, and restrictions were relaxed, and we were given back some of these freedoms, I'd rather got used to living within the "harshest" of the lockdown measures.
I wasn't much inclined to venture out and put myself at risk - even I was going to wear a mask and likely frantically sanitise.
I'd only visited one of my friends who lives close by - on two occasions - that was all I could muster.
My short-lived freedom
But, recently, I'd decided it was time to get out. I had my first, I suppose you could call it a public excursion, outing, in around nine months.
A very dear friend was celebrating her 40th birthday - in a public venue - outside - and with all necessary Covid safety measures in place.
It sounded like as good a time as any to venture out, despite seriously heightened anxiety.
Once I'd arrived, and sat down at the table, it wasn't as intimidating as anticipated - and I managed to safely navigate my way through a late afternoon and early evening of social interactions which I hadn't experienced in months.
Now for all my talk of being a homebody and being somewhat anti-social, I have to admit that my mind and soul needed the chats, the small talk, the giggles, the laughs (all in a Covid-safe environment of course).
I could feel the sense of relief and suppose joy. This is been a difficult year and moments such as those have been hard to come by, and I hadn't realised how much I missed it, and needed it.
People are struggling
But don't for a second think I am now going to be some social butterfly - the pandemic is far from over.
Being out made me realise exactly how hard it is for everybody.
I am sure that there are people out there who are intentionally ignoring Covid safety measures, and I have no words for them.
But what struck me from my experience was things that are natural to so many people, are the very things which we are being asked to train ourselves not to do.
Many are struggling with it. I certainly struggled with it.
That's awkward
The moment somebody pushes out their hand for a handshake, and you leave them hanging - that awkward pause before it becomes a fist bump. The ensuing vigorous sanitising.
And that's if you are comfortable touching the other person's hand at all. What's a good way to say no, sorry, I am being Covid-safe? There isn't, but you'd have to say it.
And then there are the huggers. This situation is only exacerbated by the fact that many people have not seen each other for months. They want a hug - they crave the contact - it's natural for them. ‘
No. Stop. Let's fist bump.
It's unnatural, and many of us are trying
People are trying and the new normal we have to accept is hard. It's learned behaviour and very much unnatural to many.
Now, throw alcohol into the equation. It's hard enough to curb your natural instincts to want to shake hands, hug, and talk - often in close proximity of the next person.
It's a recipe for unintended disaster.
From these observations, it struck me that I only have one solution for the foreseeable future. My mental health may take somewhat of a hit, but staying home is, for me, the right thing to do until further notice.
My freedom may have been taken away for large parts of this year, but I am happy to give it up freely now, until further notice.
- Bevan Lakay is the editor of Health24.
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