The quiet

 

It has really quiet today, eerily so. It reminded me of the early days of lockdown. I'm not sure why it was so quiet. I walked my wife and son to the chemist with the dog. There is a primary school opposite a secondary school which are both still closed of course. The medical centre beside was also closed which I didn't actually know about. I'm guessing GP appointments are done over the phone at the moment. The chemist was shut too. That was a surprise because it wasn't meant to be. I think it's so quiet they shut up shop early. I looked up and down the street and there was not a soul apart from us. Or maybe the streets are so quiet because nothing is open. Its a little unsettling. It is like the place has been evacuated but noone told us.

Is this the new normal? If it is then its very surreal and will take some getting used to. I just wonder how much the world around us is going to change. If there is any sort of benefit I am hoping that more jobs from home become available and interviews done via video calls. It would be great to feed my desire to work which is stunted by this agoraphobia. And that is something I am having real difficulty with again. The chemist is about half a mile away and as well as being in two minds prior as to doing it I did get uncomfortable when I got there. Small steps though. The quiet did help so for me at least maybe the new normal might be a slight improvement.

Although I have been going out throughout lockdown I have not been into the heart of the town except at night in the dark. Usually the dog walks are down to the woods or away from town so as not to encounter people. That is why today's visit into nothingness was a little bit of a shock. There should be people and there should be noise. That was it- the noise of traffic. There was a hush. A gentle unsettling quiet. I just wonder how long this will last. 

Main Street

 

This is the Main Street in my town. Well technically it isn't. For reasons I don't know the town is split into a high and low part. In the high part there is a Main Street which runs through Burnbank and into Hamilton. This street here is names "Glasgow Road" because that is how it used to be. One main road to the major city. This is the bigger and busier road running 10 mile or so to Glasgow city centre via Cambuslang, Rutherglen and all the rest. Each night when I take the dog out it is empty. Not that it is ever bustling but never this dead. There are takeaway shops so people would be in and out of them as well as drivers for deliveries. Pubs with people standing outside smoking. All sorts of things to keeps bodies on the street. Here though there is a solitary car passing through and that in itself is rare. As dark arrives there should be a good volume of traffic in normal circumstances but everywhere is shut. Everywhere is locked down. It is eerie.

I feel a bit privileged to be walking about alone. Again I have to thank the dog for that. He is my license to walk freely and have the town mostly to ourselves. It is great for him as well. He is reactive apparently so the lack of humans and other dogs helps calm him too. I enjoy these times. I walk more than I do in the day because I feel content. I will enjoy that while I can and the dog too.