Straight from the pen: Judith

There's something weird going on, not just with the world, but with me too. You can't have missed what's going on in the world. The coronavirus COVID-19 has us firmly in a stranglehold. Everyone reacts in his or her own way, great initiatives arise to help people in need, and at the same time the worst comes out in a group of people, and shops are sort of looted and staff abused.

I myself have decided to focus on the great initiatives and to contribute where necessary. I am one of the volunteers of the Met Je Hart foundation. This foundation's mission is to connect vulnerable people. We ensure that people can be there for each other, and that they can meet each other. But that meeting is not possible at the moment, and as a result these vulnerable people sometimes become lonely, or even lonelier. We are now trying to help this group of people extra by calling regularly and having a chat. If necessary, do the shopping and put it in front of the door. Some people need an audiobook or FaceTime contact. There is much that can be done to lighten the load a little, until better times arrive.

Staying healthy is now point of attention number 1, eating healthy and continuing to exercise. Almost all gyms offer a daily workout that you can do at home. I happily participate in that almost every day. It ensures that your head is nice and empty after training and you forget about the misery around you for a while. Also positive is the beautiful spring weather we have at the moment, so I take very long walks with our sweet dog Puck.

In addition, there is also something striking with me, I am no longer involved with alcohol, and that was before the restaurants and nightlife were forced to close. I don't think about it anymore, so I don't long for it. And that's a bit strange….me, who could wake you up for a good glass of champagne, prosecco or cava. That's the way it is now, I don't know if it will stay that way. For the same money, I'll be drinking a glass of bubbly or wine again on April 7th. I'm not ruling anything out.

I can imagine that people are now inclined to give up the challenge, your world is turned upside down and you have to keep all the balls in the air. Perhaps there are sick people in your family, relatives or circle of friends. Everyone is doing their best to get through this period as best as possible. If you have difficult moments, think about why you did this challenge again, and consider for yourself how important it is for you to persevere or not. At least that always works for me.

PS As you probably expected, the fashion show was canceled last week, so there was no temptation for a nice drink.

PSS Take care of yourself and each other