THIS pandemic lockdown is teaching us a lot but one thing I find most profound is the realisation of all the little things I had previously taken for granted but now cause me to experience waves of gratitude that I’ll never forget once this is all over.

Last week, for example, I stared at my bins that were overflowing. It had been three weeks since the last pick-up. As the bin collectors drove into our street this week, I breathed a sigh of relief and left some cake with a note out for them to enjoy as our little way of saying thank you. In our previous life, we would have just left our bins out weekly and not thought twice about the incredible job these guys do for us.

Another example is that of our wonderful postal workers who are bringing our mail and packages to us everyday. We know that packages carry some risk of transmission and also these workers may be coming into near contact with lots of people however these incredible workers continue to pick up and deliver to us with a smile on their face, a wave from the window to my little boy teaching him about the sense of duty. We left a little cake out for them too to say thank you.

Yes, with all this time on our hands, baking seems to be our go to hobby!

A few weeks ago we all witnessed the sorry state of the supermarkets as people stockpiled and left shelves empty. Thankfully much of this has been restored so we must show gratitude to all those who are manning the doors, stacking the shelves and delivering supplies to the supermarkets, so that we can all survive. It’s not an easy job right now for them but without them we would be struggling.

This social distancing time is very difficult for us but thankfully due to technology we are still managing to maintain some sanity and connection to our loved ones.

However, it was only when my phone crashed temporarily the other day, did I suddenly think of all those people who are working to keep our broadband and devices operating. Sadly I can’t leave some cake out for them but I’m more grateful than ever to their service.

As an NHS worker, I feel very proud when we all do the weekly clap for the life-saving work that frontliners are doing. However we must not forget all those people who are working hard and putting themselves at risk too, in order to keep us all functioning during this difficult time. It’s an endless list of people we should be clapping for, their work is much appreciated.

With this realisation comes the thoughts of all those other things I’ve taken for granted that I wish I could do right now but more so recognise it’s down to the people that make it all possible. The lockdown has shown just how much we lean on each other to keep society going. No matter what anyone’s job is, we are all valued and our contributions should be much more appreciated.

I also think of those who have sadly lost their jobs during this and hope that, once this is all over, they can pick up work and start to rebuild their lives but also that if anyone is struggling right now, that they feel they can reach out and get the support and help they need.

This is such a painful time but one that, I believe, is teaching us just how much we all matter to one another.