▨ Jamie McHale

April 2020

Establishing a new normal in the time of Coronavirus

April has been a strange month.

I have felt more productive than in a long time. Work is full on, and my focus is good. It’s strange to have this feeling whilst the world turns upside down. I think sometimes things can get so big they move beyond anxiety, and you just get on with what needs done. I am getting up about an hour and a half earlier than usual. My work day seems fuller because of that.

I have resumed running this month, after a blip towards the end of March where I didn’t go out much. I have found some new routes over the Braid Hills, a few minutes from my house. There are often beautiful views over Edinburgh, the Castle, Arthur’s Seat and Blackford Hill. It’s nice to keep in touch with other Edinburgh runners from the EH3 Milers and PubRun, even though we can’t meet in person.

Lockdown has been interesting in how we are changing our habits. We are planning meals more often to limit our exposure in supermarkets, and therefore probably eating slightly better than we otherwise would.

I’ve had a couple of home haircuts now, which have passed without major incident.

The blossoms came out on the trees, and the weather has been one of the best April’s we’ve had in a long time. No rush hour means peaceful morning sunlight.

I’ve been mostly reading the news, blogs and social media this month. There is a lot to think about: how the economy will change, how we will take care of people, how businesses can rebound, and how we reconfigure our cities. Are our public institutions up to the task? Will the response weaken trust in Government, or strengthen feeling for competence in our politicians? I’m keen to explore these issues over the next month or two.