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Chronicles of the Overlord – Coming out of Lockdown

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

It’s August, and while things are not truly back to normal in the UK, it’s getting there. However, the government is requiring citizens to wear face masks in public – a notion I believe is unnecessary if only common sense and courtesy to one another prevailed. Anyway, I am not here to disagree with the government – today that is. I have something different in mind, which is a retrospective analysis of some of my accomplishments during the past 4-5 months.

Lockdown Accomplishments

1. Garden

I think managing my garden has been my biggest accomplishment during the lockdown. I had left it mostly unattended for a couple of years, so you can probably imagine how overgrown it had all become.

On and off for the past few months, I slowly took it upon me the task of getting the garden back into decent order. While things are not perfect, I have made great strides. Although perhaps I should say WE have made great strides because while I did a lot of the work by myself, I did get assistance from some friends and neighbours, as the regulations eased. Below are some progress pictures of my garden.

2. Piano

I have been relentlessly learning new pieces to play on the piano, and subsequently letting go of some of the older stuff I used to play. I felt it was time to reinvent my repertoire, even at the cost of losing older material.

I play by ear or muscle memory, so there is a certain limit to what I can retain. If I knew how to sight-read, I’d have a more extensive arsenal of songs at my command, but would be reliant on having access to the sheets to play.

There are pros and cons to playing by ear and sight-reading. A part of me does wish I could sight-read, but it’s not a game-ender for me. Below is one of the songs I learnt during the lockdown.

3. Reading

I have read through a small collection of fictional and non-fictional works during the lockdown. I acquired most of these books from people who had left them on the front of their driveways for curious minds to pursue. It has been good to stimulate the intellectual and creative sides of my brain through reading. Below is the list of books I conquered during the lockdown.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
12 Rules for Life – An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson
The Librarian by Salley Vickers
Shadow Baby by Margaret Forster
A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow

Conclusion

With gyms reopened, I have returned to my training at the dojo. For all intents and purposes, my life has returned to what it was before lockdown measures were put into place – social distancing regulations aside.

Hopefully, you have spent this time in lockdown pursuing productivity and purpose in your life. If not, then perhaps this message can serve as a wakeup call to not allow circumstances to dictate your overall fate.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.