How do we write about coping with covid-19, and the complete uncertainty, tragedy and fear it has unleashed on the world. Am I coping with it? I have no idea, really, like most of us, I am just trying to get through the day, the week, by doing all that I can, and by staying home. It is a new normal, I have up days and down days, days I worry more, days I worry less. My husband is an essentail worker, he now comes home, strips at the front door, and goes straight to the shower. A new normal. He cannot touch our children until he is clean, his clothes lie in a black bag until he comes back down to wash them, and the worry is written over his face when he goes out through the front door. A new normal. The same for so many people still going about their work and trying to keep society fed, safe and well, as best they can, until this is over. I salute them all.
Some unforseen positives are poking through, we cook more, we actually eat the food we buy, a lot less is wasted, we play together as a family more, have a simpler, quieter way of life. I am not saying when this is over, I will emerge a changed person and forever swear off my favourite restaurant, not at all, but there are some aspects I would like to carry through.
Because we must get through this, and personally, I try to stay as positive as I can and distract myself as much as possible. I still post on instagram, chat with people there and immerse myself in my little IG corner of luxury, handbags and shoes, that may seem superficial and frivilous to the outsider, but is an escape that helps keep me sane.
There is a lot of discussion about whether people are still shopping during this time, especially in light of the unicorns appearing and many, many sale notifications popping up in our inboxes. Set that against the loss of jobs, furloughs, and immense financial insecurity that currently hangs over us all. Personally, my business, like many, is currently closed, I am responsible for paying many staff wages, and various financial commitments. Very few of us will emerge from this untouched or unaffected on a financial level, before one even considers on a personal level. Of course, this has to have an impact on decision making when it comes to shopping, or making any financial decisions. Whether to contine shopping is a personal decision, only you know your financial position, and only you know if it is appropriate or not. So long as you do carefully consider the purchase and access your finances first, there is nothing wrong with shopping at this time. If there is something you have been looking for, a unicorn that you could not find, or an item made more attainable with a discount code, now may very well be the right time to make the purchase. That purchase should also be made without judgement. Everyone is currently in a different financial position, but if you have assessed your own finances, and are happy to proceed, you should make that purchase with happiness and joy, and not subject to any of the ‘how can you shop right now’, ‘there are more deserving causes in the world’. Yes, of course there are, but we still have our own lives to live, as much as we can at this time, and if you can look at your own set up, and be happy with it, it is the place of no one else to judge you for it or comment upon it.
Myself, I have shopped during this crisis, partly because on-line browsing has become a distraction, partly due to hard to get pieces beoming available, and partly due to seasonal pieces not being guaranteed in the future. I have a separate account for shopping, and I have been more careful than usual in staying well within that and assessing my competing priorities. That being said, I am much more restrictive and cautious than normal, I have passed on certain items I would have jumped on, and I am fairly confident I could get my money out of the pieces I have purchased, if I needed to. Apart from IG, I don’t showcase my purchases in real life very much, and I have done this even less now, actaully not at all, as I am sensitive to the position that people find themselves in. Job insecurity is very real, and the stress it brings is debilitating. Any decisions at present, must therefore be well thought through and you must be comfortable in the position it will leave you in.
Questions are also surfacing on continuing to use your luxury goods at this time, continuing to enjoy them. For me, they still bring me joy and happiness, in the bubble away from reality, and help me think of happier times. I personally feel, that anything that helps you through this, distracts you, makes you smile, is a good thing, and nobody should be shamed for their interests. We are all in this together, and that should be extended to kindness to others, without judgement, or commentary, as we wait for the world to right itself.
Thank you for being here, and I truly wish you and your family safe and well until we are through this,
Princessluxlove xx