A THEATRE director in Schull has made an hilarious two-minute video that clearly demonstrates that lockdown need never be boring!
Sally Smart who runs The Loft – a popular drama outlet for children and teenagers – said she was shocked, at first, by the restrictions of the lockdown.
But when that wore off she threw herself into a whole range of activities that had, to varying degrees, been on the backburner.
‘There was loads I wanted to do: films I wanted to edit; lots of meditation techniques I wanted to learn; and I wanted to work on the online master’s degree I’m doing in cognitive behavioural therapy.
‘I even asked my landlord if it would be okay to reclaim a whole field and turn it into a veg garden. I had gardens before so I launched myself into that.
‘Then, all of a sudden, between the detox juice diet, the yoga, the meditation, the gardening, the study – not to mention the film editing and writing a book about my childhood in Cornwall – I suddenly realised I was insanely busy.’
Sally said it became clear to her that she was just ‘recreating the frenetic pace of life that we all impose on ourselves. I had to ask myself: What am I doing, because I was exhausted and 10 times busier than usual.’
Sally told The Southern Star: ‘That was my insight and I pulled back. I’m still doing what I love to do but I am no longer trying to grow enough food to feed the world in three weeks!’
‘The video,’ she added, ‘is me making fun of myself but I’m sure lots of people will be able to identify with it: so many people are stressing out about teaching the kids, but there’s lots we don’t have to do.’
Sally said she initially moved to West Cork, 24 years ago, to live ‘the quiet life and bring my children up in a place that has a slower pace of life, as well as a good lifestyle and values.’
The video is very popular on Facebook. ‘People have told me they love it, that it makes them laugh,’ Sally said of the speeded-up, madcap reel, ‘which is good because I needed to laugh at myself.
‘Of course, the deeper message is that when this is over, we, hopefully, will not go back to lives lived in that crazy fast lane.’
