It’s Day 100 of the South African lockdown. I’m still here, at home, on my couch.
Many people in South Africa have been writing about Day 100 on social media, posting montages of photos, reflecting on what’s happened over the past three-plus months, etc. I don’t want to be redundant or overdo it. But this day does feel quite momentous for me, as it does for so many others. I truly don’t feel like the same person I was 100 days ago, in the same way the world doesn’t feel like the same place it was 100 days ago.
This blog, which has defined my existence for the past ten years, is also not the same as it was 100 days ago. I used to blog once or twice a week — maybe three times if I was feeling really inspired. But I blogged for 53 days in a row when the lockdown started, and then continued to blog five out of every seven days until today. I’ve now published 89 total posts since I spontaneously decided to start this lockdown journal.
Today I’m officially ending the journal, simply because I’m burned out and Day 100 seems like a good day to stop. It’s kind of weird timing though. The reason for the lockdown itself — the COVID-19 pandemic — is only just getting started in South Africa. Yesterday we had 9000 new confirmed cases of the virus. A week ago we had 6200 new cases, and a week before that we had 3800 new cases. The curve is getting steeper, not flatter. So even though my lockdown journal is ending, just as the South African lockdown rules are easing, for the foreseeable future I’ll be living the same locked-down life I’ve lived for the past 100 days.
I’ll have more to say after I return from my blogging holiday — about a week from now. In the meantime, I thought I’d share my top five most popular lockdown journal posts and some thoughts about each one.
My Top Five Lockdown Journal Posts
Of the 89 lockdown journal posts I’ve published since 24 March, these are the five that received the most pageviews.
1) Joburg COVID-19 Lockdown Journal: Day 5
I’m not sure why this post was the most popular of the 89; I think it has less to do with the subject matter and more to do with the magic of internet algorithms. However, I do think this post captures that strange, incomprehensible angst many of us were feeling during the early days of lockdown. I was all over the place, sharing all kinds of random thoughts and links to articles on a variety of topics, rambling on about the minutiae of my day, and ranting about people I felt were unfairly policing my emotions.
When I reread this post (and many of my other early lockdown posts), I feel a bit embarrassed about how melodramatic I sounded. But clearly a lot of other people felt the same.
2) Lockdown Journal: Day 36 (Outside in Melville)
I wrote this post on the day President Ramaphosa eased our lockdown from Level 5 to Level 4, which allowed us to go outside to exercise for the first time in five weeks. I was overjoyed that morning, as were so many South Africans, and I guess that’s why so many of them read this post.
3) Thoughts About Racism, Anti-Racism, and White Supremacy (Lockdown Day 66)
I’m glad this post made it into the top five. I wrote it at the end of May, soon after the murder of George Floyd, and it has nothing to do with the South African lockdown. I think it’s the most important post I wrote in this series, and one of the most important posts I’ve ever written in the past ten years. #BlackLivesMatter.
4) Lockdown Journal: Day 16 (My 1000th Blog Post)
Here’s another post that had nothing to do with the lockdown but simply had to be written during the time the lockdown was happening. Writing this post pushed me to look inward and revisit my past in a way that I hadn’t done in quite a long time. I’m grateful it happened when it did.
5) Lockdown Journal: Day 56 (Melville Food Relief)
This is the first post I wrote documenting the Melville food parcel distribution, which happens every Thursday. I am so grateful to have discovered this program and become a part of it. I’m grateful for the inspiring, selfless work that Tanya, Sean, and all the volunteers are doing to help feed our community. And I’m grateful to those of you who have donated to keep the program going. You have fed hundreds of people. Thank you.
Top five honorable mention goes to Life in Joburg During COVID-19, which is technically not part of the lockdown journal but was the first post I wrote about the pandemic. I published it about a week before the lockdown started. This post has received more traffic than any of my other pandemic posts. I’m quite fond of it myself, mainly because I will never forget how beautiful Delta Park was on that glorious, late summer day before we fully understood how the world was about to change.
Thanks to all of you for reading my blog throughout this crazy 100 days. So many of you have read and commented faithfully, day after day, and I never would have completed this mission without your unwavering encouragement and support.
I promise I won’t be gone for long. I’m going to spend the next week catching up on some admin and thinking long and hard about my next book. Thanks to the coronavirus I think I finally have the time, and the will, to tackle this daunting project. I’ll have more to report when I come back.
Worthy Causes
Sorry, one more thing. Just a reminder that over the course of this series I highlighted more than 40 ways to help people in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve compiled all of these causes into a single post, highlighted at the top of my website. Please consider donating to one of them in recognition of our 100 days of lockdown.
We’ll look forward to hearing from you after your break. I know you will have lots of interesting, important and inspiring things to say. Take care of yourself and the cats, finish your scarf and stay well. I’ll miss you!
Thanks Nancy. I’ll miss your comments!
Thanks for giving me somewhere to go virtually during our own lockdown. Your scarf looks great!
I wish I could trade you hot weather for cold right now.
Thanks. I’d also love to trade! The grass is always greener, blah blah blah.
I really enjoyed this journey with you, Heather. You may not think it, but your posts were always interesting to read.
You did an incredible job and you deserve a break. Champagne!! ????????????????????
All the best with your book and looking forward to reading your next post!
Thanks Catrina. You are the best! “See” you again soon.
Heather, Thanks for 100 days blogging about live in South Africa live in Melville your trips and your adventures all over town. Always inspiring always critical (in a very positive way) always sharing your sometimes very private thoughts & issues. Looking forward to read the next 100 blogs about live in JHB in Melville and all the people you meet. Have a good break………….see you on Thursday 🙂
Thanks Maarten! I’m happy to have met you during this crazy time 🙂
Always look forward to reading your blogs, going to miss them now that they are not going to be everyday. Your scarf looks great.
Thanks! I’ve got a video call with Fiver tomorrow to help me cast off 🙂
Thank you for this journal Heather! For some of us overseas with family in SA it was a valuable insight into the lockdown!
Thanks so much Zaahirah!
Beware scarves, they are like heroin. I’ve got three beanies and it looks like more are on the way … virtually see you soon.
Hahaha. I guess as far as addictions go that’s not a bad one to have.
I always enjoy your friendly and informative blogs – keep it up, as often as you can manage.
Do you know the story of how are roads and some fields are blooming with Cosmos, as winter approaches ? Please write in response if you want me to expand on this phenomenon,
Warm regards – your scarf project will help !
Dave
Hi Dave, thanks so much for the supportive comment. Yes – as I understand it the cosmos seeds were spread by horses during the Anglo-Boer War. Is that right?
Yes, the seeds formed part of the feed for the British Horses, which I believe came from Australia. That’s why most of the biggest, most impressive cosmos is still found along our Highways and byways. These routes were amongst many of the routes used by Lord Roberts as he made his way to Pretoria with his ” Great Army ” in tow
Oh yes, somehow I forgot the seeds were in the food. So I guess there was a horse stable of some sort in Delta Park back then? That would make sense since there’s one there now.
Indeed, but the stable being there could just be coincidence …..
Thank you, Heather! I have read every one of your blog posts – and so often your thoughts have echoed mine. It’s been good to know “it’s not just me”
Enjoy your well deserved break – look forward to having you back
Thanks so much Andrea!
My blog is a few days old, I feel like I should’ve started a while ago go engage more, I love how real your posts are. Power woman ????
Thanks so much Jane! Best of luck with your blog.