Tue, Apr 7, 2020
Read in 3 minutes
Harare Hub, Zimbabwe Originally from Harare, Zimbabwe
Dear Diary,
This time last month I went about my business totally oblivious to the fact that a few days later my country’s first Covid-19 case would be recorded and we would soon join the rest of the world in being humbled (I won’t say restricted) to the confines of our homes (made me realise how much we should invest in making our homes havens and places of rest and comfort). I had no idea that our second Covid case would break my heart and many other Zimbabweans’ hearts: a young influential changemaker (he even has been part of our Global Shaper events) died. Not only did he die, he died from Covid-19, not only did he die from this deadly pandemic, he died alone and scared because our medical facilities were not prepared for him (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52061697). This sent a wave of anxiety and panic, I had to exit several WhatsApp groups and stop certain media for my sanity. I keep picturing him in isolation alone and scared moments before his death. I keep wondering how his surviving girlfriend is coping given that she too has been in isolation.
As I sit in my apartment today the 7th of April 2020, I’m grateful I don’t have Covid-19, that no one in my circle of friends and family have it at the moment (I say at the moment because this virus fears no man, you can literally be free from it one moment and have it the next). Going back to counting my blessings: I’m grateful for decent accommodation, that I can afford food and supplies, that my employer is still paying me. I know many in my circles who aren’t receiving any income and have no savings (don’t judge, our economy doesn’t allow for savings). Like one fellow African put it “How do you self-quarantine in an informal settlement. Or in a household full of people? How do you stock-up when you live from hand to mouth? What will business closures mean for daily/hourly waged workers? Asking for a continent..”
As I sit here at my make-shift home work-station (a now wobbly wooden table that belonged to my grandfather in the 1960s, it’s almost double my age!) I can’t help but be grateful for both the little and big things in life which I have taken for granted up until this point. The freedom and now luxury of being able to go to an auction or a local carpenter to get a much needed work desk so I can work efficiently from home (oh wait I wouldn’t need that if it wasn’t for this pandemic). My guess though is that from this point in history going forward, work will never be the same. Being in the tech field I had always been excited by the “future of work” but Covid has brought the future of work even more rapidly and widespread than I had imagined. Something else to be grateful for…
Before this time I never had time to do anything: my laundry, reading, spending time with my mum who is living with me (I basically treated her like a house mate). This time has made me appreciate my mum and my time with her so much. It’s almost like everything else has ceased to matter other than relationships with friends, family and other loved ones. And so as much as there is so much to be concerned about, I am also grateful. Only God knows what the future will hold. For now we wrestle and embrace the times…Wrestle and embrace Covid-19
Yours
Gratefully Concerned