Lockdown 4.0

As we head into the 4th lockdown here in Melbourne, I’m reminded of a walk during the 2nd lockdown in 2020 that we took as a family. It was a warm, sunny day and we headed out for our daily allowance of 2 hour exercise within our 5km limit. With each daily walk we head a bit further that the previous day, exploring more and more of our neighbourhood. That day, we venture to our neighbouring suburb Kensington. As we walk through the leafy suburb, we come upon an empty patch of grass and decide it’s a good place to take a break before heading back. Masks are removed and we sit to enjoy the warmth of the sun while crunching on our snacks.

I remember this day clearly because of a particular moment between Sophie and Noah. As we munch on our snacks, Noah laughs as his little sister crunches up the packaging and hands it to him. For some reason, he finds this hilarious, and soon enough all of us are laughing together. And in that moment, all the worries of this new pandemic world is forgotten. Everything I need is right here, right now.

Of course, as we head back to our house, the reality of the pandemic hits again - we are confined again to our house till tomorrow. But as we head back home, there’s a spring in our step knowing that it’s all going to be all right, as long as we have each other.

Photographed on Pentax 67 on Kodak Portra 400