Coronavirus Chaos: Stay at Home, Stay Safe, Why Not Even Start a Blog?

“Always look on the bright side of life” – Eric Idle.

Coronavirus is a hot topic. As a travel, football and mostly beer blogger, I rarely write about health matters away from depression and travel injections/medication. But today I felt like writing something about the Coronavirus as it is just too extreme now. The spread of this disease is serious and anyone who says otherwise is inhumane. It is as simple as that. It is NOT the same as a flu and NOT the same as somebody crossing a road and getting killed by a car. We have reached a point where countries such as India, Italy, Israel and Saudi Arabia have to all intents and purposes blocked tourists. Preparing for a potential travel in the future is all we have in the here and now.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is a deadly disease, it’s pandemic and it is up to us as humans to try and destroy it. Do all we can. And YES – the simple things and basic information that doctors and professionals tell us, they DO work. So far we have been advised to:

• wash hands more regularly than normal
• stop handshakes
• wear gloves
• cover mouth when coughing
• avoid touching people
• stay at home
• drink more water
• stop touching things on public transport
• only go out if it is ESSENTIAL
• and more…

It has been a tough week since both Poland and Northern Ireland announced their first cases of Coronavirus, one of the Northern Ireland cases is former Manchester City and Northern Ireland international Ryan McGivern. As a football geek, it also means personally cancelling trips to watch Northern Ireland, AFC Bournemouth and locally Legia Warszawa (stadium will be empty). I might also have to cancel the idea of attending the Europa League final in Gdańsk in May and the Euro 2020 tournament in June is in jeopardy. I will NOT be travelling anywhere just for now and hoping that my friends and family do the same to avoid and minimise any risk of the spread.

However, in my own mind, I hope that some positives come from this, imagine if these things happen:

• people care more about others
• people stop their greed
• liars stop lying
• killers stop killing
• we stop buying things we actually don’t need

As humans we may all have been guilty of some of these. Now is the toughest time in my own life and yes it is due to daily worry about my loving Mum and Dad, due to the Coronavirus mostly affecting those aged over 70. Sometimes I look at the memories and think it was too good to be true, what we did – taking my parents to Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Brazil and helping Mum at the school fair in my old Primary School in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

So stay at home everyone, and stay safe and listen to the powers that be. I am laying low for once. I won’t leave Warszawa, I won’t leave Poland. I won’t be going on any more trips for the time being. Travel glory days have truly passed me by and long term backpacking slash whackpacking doesn’t interest me any more.

“Gone the dream, it’s all faded now” – Tim Wheeler.

“They’ll pass you by, glory days” – Bruce Springsteen.

Start a blog?

And how about you?? Why don’t you stay at home and use this opportunity to become a writer, online. Start a blog!! It is really the perfect time to set up a blog. Or even just start writing a book with pen and paper. As for starting a blog –

• Write post on a blog (start by using Blogger, Blogspot, WordPress or Wix.
• Connect it to social media accounts.
• Set up a Facebook page
• Promote it

And suddenly we can see that blogging and writing can be a welcome release, it is my escape from depression and the mundane-ness of life. It could be a release from the chaos of Coronavirus. This blog, Don’t Stop Living, changed my life in so many ways, and led to my latest love, Northern Irishman in Poland. Writing keeps me alive. Think about it. Start a blog since you will probably have more time at home.

And care for your friends and family.

Take care everyone.

Let’s destroy the threat of this disease and any other future diseases that threaten to wipe out mankind.

Don’t Stop Living.