I went for a long walk today – into the centre of town and back. Not the longest walk I have ever done, but this was all on pavement and I was trying to build up walking on a hard surface getting ready for a sponsored walk.
I chose a lot of side routes and quiet alleys – and as a result I found an amazing number of interesting places on the way. But I definitely need a better pair of pavement walking shoes.
I walked on paths through a lot of parks, and unlike the reports on the news there were small groups of people very spaced out. I guess this is the advantage of a place with a good beach – all the idiots are drawn there. I saw a few loving couples lying out on the grass.
It reminded me of the recent report I saw on dating during the pandemic. It explained the way people on dates needed to social distance, and holding hands was out of the question until May or maybe even June. It reminded me of the dating scene from The Quiet Man.
Of course that film is no longer acceptable to many for a variety of reasons – including the portrayal of the “simple Irish”. The idea of dating in the film still doesn’t meet the social distancing rules – but the response (running off together to break rules) fits.
There are still parts of life where rules will be broken because – my view – they do not take into account diversity. I see no way that a national of young people could ever be expected to social distance while dating for a year.
This isn’t just a pandemic issue – we really need to find a way to make sure we run the country in a way that accounts for the differences in society.