On the day when this is over, we will start to love again the things that seemed unloveable. Like traffic. We will see the beauty in being able to have work and to be able to travel to it.
On the day when this is over, we will never hear the scream of an ambulance or the whirr of a garda car without a thought entering our head about the wonderful sacrifice they are making to save this country. For a generation who never feared for the future of this country, apart from the odd economic disaster, the realisation that we have everyday heroes standing up for Ireland is a lesson that we will never forget.
On the day when this is over, we will never again enter our local supermarket and shops without a renewed appreciation for essential workers. We will know that these employees are the ones who calmed our hearts. Remember local business stood beside us in our time of need, often risking their own health and safety to ensure we got what we needed.
On the day when this is over, we will absorb every aspect of our freedom. Retain the appreciation of the nature that many of us are discovering for the first time. We will blush with excitiment at being able to wander further than 2km from our homes. Let us remember this next time we plan to run a bus-lane through a forest.
On the day when this is over, we will make sure we will not waste time on meaningless matters. Fill your head and life with richness, now you have tasted what it is like to go without.
On the day when this is over, we will appreciate the beauty of being able to have an Irish funeral. Remember those who had to go without the waked tributes they deserved, the sloshing of whiskey in small glasses, the handfuls of fruitcake, the packed kitchen of a funeral house, the donning of the shop blinds as they pass on their last journey. It is a wonderful ritual. Appreciate it all the more.
On the day when this is over, we should ensure our health services are never left as vulnerable again. Let us go without something so that they are rewarded for their selfless work. And no, you should never stop thanking them.
On the day when this is over, hug grandparents and inlaws and elderly for the endurance they have shown and the wisdom that sustained them.
On the day when this is over, remember that it is too easy to be an awkward divil bearing a grudge. Love long, hug warmly and forgive quickly. Life is too short for ridiculous spats.
On the day when this is over, lety your heart soar with the roar of a crowd cheering the kick of a ball. Appreciate sport and all it gives us.
On the day that this is over, do not forget the lessons that we are learning every day with our families. This is a time we will never have again. It will be a period that will be the subject of many documentaries and articles a decade from now, a century from now. Record it if you can.
The day when this is over — Coming soon to a life near you. But for now, hold tight, stay firm. You’re doing mighty.
