Is the honeymoon ending?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everybody's lives.  People and governments are doing previously unimaginable things to slow the spread of the virus and save lives.  The domination of the news and social media by the pandemic has created a sense of anxiety, fear and excitement.

Willoughby Road pre-dawn.

Some of the changes imposed on us have altered our lives significantly, generally for the worse, but the novelty of our changed lives and the frisson of being involved in a once-in-a-hundred-years event, have dampened the effects.  We all have something to talk about, even if from a distance.

There has been a honeymoon period during which photos have been posted of home-schoolers, inventive exercising and so on, but I fear the ameliorating effects of novelty are wearing off.  The jobs to do around the house are fewer, and more thought has to be put into identifying productive activities.  I have heard US politicians discussing the boarding up of shops and businesses in anticipation of the public's patience wearing thin after two weeks of restrictions there.

Terrigal Promenade at sunrise.

In the absence of a vaccine, or the ready availability, community-wide, of efficient testing, I don't see why these restrictions won't be in place for six to twelve months for most of us.  And we haven't yet seen, in Australia anyway, the mood-draining death tolls associated with the virus.  I think the worst is yet to come, and we are just at the "phoney war" stage experienced after World War II was declared.  Our patience has yet to be really tested.

My 6km jog this morning was a little more painful, and slower, than yesterday's.  Should I have just walked?  Who knows, but it is hard to miss days when your fitness is so poor and all you want to do is get back to painfree and enjoyable running.