Wasting a whole day isn’t really a waste of time at all

A Different View with Dave O’Connell

Back in the day, the season of Lent was a time of sacrifice – when you gave something up, instead of taking something on. The Covid-19 ‘season’ appears to have inspired the opposite effect, because everyone seems to be taking up a new challenge.

And that’s brilliant; never have so many houses looked so white, so many gardens looked so green, so many children looked so pink, as they’re scrubbed to within an inch of their final layer of skin.

Some people just cannot stand still, and I envy them at times – but one of the few benefits of this isolation and lockdown is that it presents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to stand (or sit) still.

You can’t go anywhere really, so you don’t have to feel guilty about not making some journey. You can’t visit anyone, so ditto – no pressure there.

If your house needs to be painted or power-washed, then this is undoubtedly your chance – but equally don’t let peer pressure force you away from that book you were enjoying or that Netflix series you’d set aside for a rainy day.

It goes without saying that exercise is good for body, soul and mind – but the odd duvet day isn’t a crime against humanity either.

A sedentary weekend is so rare that you should cherish it instead of keeping the curtains closed in case anyone sees you.

Of course, farmers – for one – don’t have days where they can put their feet up, and clearly our frontline health staff hardly have a minute to draw breath.

Supermarket staff, refuse collectors, Gardaí . . . all still with shoulders firmly to the wheel.

There are so many others who are normally flat-out busy when the rest get a chance to relax or socialise – the bar staff and hotel workers whose peak periods coincide with everyone else’s holidays or long weekends.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.