Pandemonium : A year on.

I didn’t think that in 2021, I will refer to going out in a global pandemic in the same way, with such a kind of stoic humour. 

Since finishing my MA in creative application development in April, in which I managed to keep my head down enough to to focus on completing my final project while trying to stabilise the mothership, trying not to race to Derby and Plymouth to collect my children from Uni (respecting their decision to hunker down), and in supporting my husband who, day in day out has just got on with it. No fuss, not drama. Only those who knowing him better might see how the strain bear on him. He, quietly just doing his best for all his high risk, geriatric diabetic patients. 

 

Then, as the children rolled in from their University courses we breathed a sigh of relief. The kids are home. We wait for them to settle, we listen for them to tell us what they need and then quietly we provide support to help them move forward. How can we do this in a pandemic ? My daughter, solid yet empathetic like her father, applies to support adults with sever learning and communication disabilities iwhile my son, sensible, worldly and ‘chillaxed’ decides to skillup in his coding skills to do something he actually wants to do rather than to settle. 

Having spent my whole adult life raising children and building a home, giving myself the opportunity to reach an academic and creative level I am personally satisfied with, I count my blessings. Although, I may not fit with certain waves of modern feminism, I am a feminist none the less. I have never wanted a mans life, too much careers stress, too many financial worries, not enough holidays, too long a commute, too much wasted travel time, poisonous office politics, a hollow man in a hollow suit…  I don’t believe often a man wants that either. I wanted a balanced life of equal opportunities to grow. A happy life for all (yes, I know!) in many ways, I see this as one of the by products of the pandemic. 

So, when the pandemic hit, after sorting out my family and seriously assessing my skillset, I asked, Can I use my powers for good ? 

How do I go out and play Pandy for a bit ? Applying what I have learned on my app development course and in my creative career to help people in the middle of a global pandemic ?