OPINION: Hope some good has come out of this time

Again I write this not knowing what state our country or region will be in by the time this story comes out in print.

Things were looking more optimistic in our area but I know how quickly situations can change right now.

One thing I am fairly sure of is that we will continue to isolate ourselves from the majority of our extended community.

This in itself means many things to different people.

Personally I am still fortunate to be working but other than my commute to work I do not leave the house.

So what do we do to keep our sanity intact when one of greatest resources has been taken away from us — our community?

Again, you may get very different answers depending on the person you ask, but there are some common themes.

Family time! For those fortunate enough to live with family this has come as a genuine opportunity to connect, or possibly reconnect with members of our immediate and extended family.

Whether that’s in person or through digital communication. My dad has never had so many phone calls from his grandies!

Games and more games.

My family are avid collectors of board and card games, so perhaps we do this more often than most.

But this time has presented many with the opportunity to connect through old-fashioned family games.

Whist, Risk, poker and good old Monopoly … how many have you or a sibling flipped over in the last few weeks?

Self-improvement ... have you had your fair share of “me time?”

Gardening, yoga, exercise, cooking, what’s floated your boat this past month?

Have you made the perfect scone? Planted your crop of corn? Fixed all those niggly things you “always needed to get to?” Or have you just taken the time to get to know the real you?

We will look back on this time in years to come with mixed emotions, this comes down to how it’s impacted us in our homes and workplaces.

But we can use this time for positive measures. We can come out of it as better people, better members of our local and global community.

I have faith in us as human beings and as residents of the Mid West.

We can improve, we can overcome, we can ’cos we are all Aussies, through and through.

That’s it for now from this Pom in Oz.