Of social distancing and small blessings

Saratu Abubakar

Finally made it to the salon after months of taking care of my hair by myself. Was it an easy decision? No, the 90 minutes I spent there was passed being anxious. My mind was buzzing with the possibility of getting infected despite the precautionary measure put in place.

It has been roughly 4 months or more since the world took COVID-19 seriously and countries went into lockdown.

What we all have In common as humans taking up space in the world is masking up and the constant use of the phrase social distancing.

I love and hate the act of social distancing. In times of COVID-19, it is the act of keeping at least two metres between you and the next person.

 I love social distancing because I have come across a lot of people in my twenty-plus years on earth that do not understand personal space. Some people crowd your space in a way that leaves you thinking if they want to enter your womb. Therefore, the fear of contracting COVID-19 has made life easy for me. I no longer have to deal with random people invading my personal space.

The flip side of it though is that I am a hugger. I love giving hugs to my loved ones and I love receiving hugs. There is just something warm and protective about a hug. It is like being covered in a thick blanket on a cold day. Having to keep two metres between myself and a loved one has made it impossible to hug anybody.


As the days pass by, coronavirus seems to be registering like flu in my brain. It is that disease you contract knowing that a lot of people have died from it and a lot have also survived. You just carry on with your life hoping if you contract it you wouldn’t be among those that will die.

I remember the beginning of the lockdown, it felt like a holiday and a lot of people were excited to take time off and rest. Two months in and everyone started getting frustrated. Graduations cancelled, weddings postponed, businesses taking a dip and life, in general, taking an uncertain turn.

Even though life has always been uncertain, the pandemic has made us, humans, understand that as much as it is important to plan, it is also important to live in the present.  

To the class of 2020, congratulations on your graduation. I remember how much I looked forward to my graduation day. I planned my outfit from the beginning of the semester, it was such a big deal. I can’t imagine how you felt not having a graduation ceremony, but the most important thing is that you graduated. So, cheers to hitting that milestone.

I have a friend that hates the idea of weddings, she just wanted the Nikkah. I always found her ideas absurd because we are from Northern Nigeria and weddings last for days. Nigerians are known for big weddings, having events for guests in their thousands. Telling a parent you want a small wedding is like a taboo. COVID-19 though has helped our Nigerian parents understand that small weddings are possible, you don’t even need to have a wedding.  Just do the Nikkah/solemnisation and let the couple go, the way a lot of people have been doing since the advent of coronavirus.

This doesn’t mean there is anything wrong in wanting a big wedding. It all just boils down to what the couple wants. There is no need to force a big wedding on someone like my friend and no need to force a small wedding on someone that is all about the big party.

Finally, dealing with loss. A lot of people have passed away during this period. Sadly, some people couldn’t even say goodbye to those that matter. We as humans are aware of death, we know it will happen and we know it doesn’t give anyone a heads-up. To be honest, now more than ever I am scared of what the death of a loved one will do to me. Never In my life did I ever think a time will come when the airports will be closed, a time when you don’t have anything aside from a video call between you and those you love.

It has put things in perspective for me, every moment might be the last, so, make that hug longer, live in the moment but also document and do not be scared of vulnerability. Let that person know you love them because the next second is not certain.  

Do I enjoy this mask up life? Nope, I don’t, but it is what we have to endure to avoid contracting this virus. As the world opens up, don’t forget to practise social distancing, it is the key, mask up and most importantly wash your hands and sanitise as we wait for what coronavirus will do to us.