On the 1st of August, shielding in Scotland was paused and there was a relaxation in some of the rules that are there to protect us. Super Sarah and I have been shielding since the 10 March, to begin with on the advice of our health professionals, before the official lockdown began. I found out that I was just antisocial enough that I didn’t feel lockdown really impacted me but being indoors and away from family and friends has taken its toll. I already struggle with anxiety so when we were able to leave the house, there was a very real possibility that Super Sarah was going to have to put my wheelchair into manual and wheel me out. Fortunately, it did not come to this! It is not easy to leave the house, not knowing what to expect and frankly, still been terrified that the virus is still out there. Thus, we have only managed to go outdoors on a handful of occasions. I have thought a lot recently about any advice I would give to past Karine, to prepare her better for what was about to unfold, without giving too much away. I have decided to write a letter to Karine in January: firstly, to try to alleviate anxiety and secondly, to have a little fun with what has happened and what we have learned. So here it is:

Hi Karine,

This is future Karine here to offer you some words of wisdom. In March,

things will get a little crazy and that will be terrifying but the first thing

that I would like to say to you is: don’t worry, you will not run out of

toilet roll! This will not make sense yet but you’ll understand soon enough.

You know all the craft supplies, the games, the hobbies and the Lego that

you have collected over the years? You are about to finally use them! You

have hours of entertainment, and you will finally be grateful that you

have collected them all throughout the years.

Thank your lucky stars for the Internet, make sure you keep Fibre as

speedy Internet will be incredibly useful to for staying in touch with

those close to you. On that note, see everyone that means something to you

in person at least once before March and spend some real quality time with

them.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is, do something different everyday,

it will keep you sane, it will keep you going and it will help keep the blues

away. Slow life down, there is no rush anymore and it will help the days pass.

Keep exercising, it gives you energy, it makes you feel good and it keeps

frustration and depression at bay.

You will realise just how brilliant the people around you are, from your best

friend Andy and your neighbours to the volunteers that will help you.

There is an incredible sense of community just now, something that has been

missing and it’s great to see it back.

You already think that Super Sarah is incredible, but you’re going to find

out how strong, how supportive and how amazing she really is. She is

the reason that you make it this far. She cares for you above herself and

really handles being stuck inside with you for a significant period of time,

which I don’t need to tell you, is one hell of an achievement!

Stay positive, look ahead and keep your chin up.

August Karine

I think that’s the best I can do without giving too much away. Is there any advice that you would give to your past self?