“Plans were cancelled and lives changed”
Last week, during the Clap for Carers one of my neighbours shouted over suggesting we hold a street party to honour VE Day. The whole street agreed, and we went inside with plans for the next Friday. When lockdown began my once sociable family like all others across the world suddenly stopped. Plans were cancelled and lives changed.
In the following days we were all now busy, creating invites, baking, organising how we could party and still social distance and of course planning what we were going to wear. This party gave everyone something to focus on and most importantly something to look forward to. A break from the constant stream of news which repeatedly reminds us of the tragedy gripping the globe. If the entire country was not on lockdown, I am certain there wouldn’t have been street parties. Life is fast-paced; it is easy to be consumed by what is going on in your own personal bubble. The one positive from lockdown is that as communities we are coming together to support and care for each other.
Then the day arrived, and in a glorious stroke of luck, it was sunny! The Party started at 3:00 PM to coincide with Churchill’s announcement of victory over Europe. The entire street was decorated with brightly coloured bunting that had been lying in a box for a good few years (or that was only the case for my family). Garden tables and chairs had been moved onto drives and pavements. “We’ll Meet Again” blasted out of my next-door neighbours’ speakers. Looking at my usually quiet street this scene didn’t feel real. Throughout the COVID crisis, there have been moments (sometimes days) when this entire situation feels as though it has been ripped off the page of a dystopian novel, or that some terrible trick is been played on the world. Those feelings melted away as I watched people I would never normally socialise with before coming out of their houses with smiles and plates of food.
Time flew by, this was possibly the first day in lockdown that I didn’t look at my phone once. There were so many stories to share and new people to meet (at a safe distance) that I simply didn’t feel the need to go on my phone. I’ve lived in this house for eight years, and whilst I’m friendly with most of my neighbours this is the most time, I’ve ever spent with them. It was amazing, I found that we had so much more in common than I thought. I realised that the feelings of sadness, loneliness and confusion which have been prevalent since the beginning of lockdown were not just felt by me. It was refreshing to talk to people outside of my family and I’m sure that feeling was shared by others as I heard one of the kids on the street declare that they were “never going inside again”.
“Times are strange now and it feels as though COVID will never end, but it will and when it does we can celebrate properly”
At 10:00 PM however we did go inside (much later than anyone anticipated), with the promises that once lockdown was over, we’d do another street party where we can actually be near each other. I’m hopeful that we will, but the memories of today will stay with us all for the rest of our lives. The phrase “new normal” is being used frequently now and this party embodied that. We were together, eating, drinking and celebrating but we all remained in our own drive conscious not to get too close to each other. It was difficult and felt very bizarre, but no-one complained. I’m sure our street party was incredibly different than the ones 75 years ago, yet the same message was passed on through both – hope. Times are strange now and it feels as though COVID will never end, but it will and when it does we can celebrate properly.
Orla McAndrew
Featured image courtesy of Orla McAndrew. This image has in no way been altered.