While China is emerging from weeks of quarantine, and much of Europe is already under various degrees of social isolation, Canada is only just embarking on our own journey of “social distancing”.

Around the world many aspects of life as we have been accustomed have ground to a halt. Cafes, bars and restaurants are closed, many people are working from home, schools have moved online, and even some provincial parks are closed. It’s strange to think that the great outdoors might soon be off-limits. We went for a walk a little over a week ago at Elk Falls and were surprised by how busy some of the trail spots were. British Columbia has always been known to have quite an outdoorsy population but with all the shops shut, the natural beauty was drawing even more people out and about than usual.

I always find the restrictions on smoking and drinking in open spaces weird as it’s so different from parks in much of Europe and the UK.

I know that for some people this new reality is stressful and that society is relying heavily on our healthcare workers and on many other workers such as grocery clerks who don’t often get the recognition they deserve. Others may be worried because they are currently off work and unsure of their financial circumstances but in the interest of keeping things positive and because I really am in a fortunate situation at this time, I am focusing on the good things to come out of taking a step back and shutting things down.

Next week, I will be working from home navigating the various platforms for taking education online. I know this will give me the opportunity to focus on some of the things that get buried under the day-to-day realities of a North American secondary school in the age of social media. You can read my thoughts on a typical day here. I’m really looking forward to having time to breathe, eat lunch, and read up on new education strategies and the latest technologies to enhance student learning.  There will be time to connect with other educators and contact families simply to check in, rather than to follow up on poor behaviour.

I’m also really looking forward to not commuting.  I can work from the comfort of my home and I have the time to make my home more comfortable. Already my living room looks more like a home than a dumping ground for the first time ever and that’s just thanks to Spring Break.

I have already connected on video chats to family and friends across the world just over the past week although I must admit I am thoroughly enjoying the undisturbed peace in my own home. There’s no need to make excuses to stay in because that’s what we’re supposed to be doing! I can finally be a couch potato and have no FOMO! I’ve also always enjoyed long walks by myself whether I live in a massive city or a small town. Being so remote on Northern Vancouver Island, we are able to go out for solitary walks and will likely encounter more deer than people.

I suspect if we end up being ‘locked down’ for months, my thoughts and feelings may change but for now I am really happy and hopeful and looking forward to a slower pace of life. As this global virus pandemic might make into the history books (podcasts/websites/archived twitter-feeds) in years to come, I am going to write more often about what life is like in 2020 as experienced from my small corner of the world.