The Hope Train

28 th May 2020 Dear Readers, I was a little grumpy this morning. I flipped back the sheets of my calendar and counted. We are on the 65 th day of lockdown. 65! I don’t think I’ve EVER been, mostly home, for 65 straight days in a row. In these 65 days, my time outside our home has consisted of – visiting my mum four times, and taking our dog down, in our building compound, for a quick walk. Not much else. I just did the Math. That’s 65 X 24 = 1560 hours of lockdown. And not even seven hours of outside time. It’s mindboggling. It surprises me that I feel grumpy this morning. I’m normally a very happy person. They call people like me, those who look at the glass half-full. Not half-empty. I’m normally a ‘hoptimist’ – I hop my way out of things that get me down. It’s weirder, because I actually love being at home. Before lockdown, I’d make excuses to try to be home more. It’s funny how these things work out, right? In all my grumpiness, I walked into my kitchen, and f

Dear co-passengers on the Hope Train, I know what you’re going through. How? When I don’t know you? Because we’re all in the same boat. Didn’t I just say ‘train’? It’s been so long since the journey began. The excitement of   ‘Yay, holidays!’ and spending all day in your pyjamas must have turned into a royal case of The Grumps. You’ve probably pestered your parents to go out and play, and said you’d be careful, but they still didn’t allow it. You’ve had burnt, boring meals. Your mom and dad are exhausted and sometimes snapping at each other, you, the walls, the TV. Slowly, perhaps, you’ve begun to wonder as well, whether this is a scary time. Will your grandparents, being old, be at risk of falling sick with the Corona virus? Will someone you love go to hospital? Will someone you know die? No one has answers. No one even discusses it seriously with you, because you are a kid. This, to remind you, is the Hope Train. And that means that hope will go on and on. Though t