What’s bothering Sam Armytage during lockdown? Well...

From whipping up a DIY respirator at home using toilet rolls and a vacuum cleaner to the ups and downs of the stock market, pondering has become Samantha Armytage’s new daily pastime.

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As I sit contentedly in my social isolation – the older I get, the more introverted I become – I’ve had time to ponder quite a lot.

And given I’m the world’s worst TV binge-watcher, and as I actively dodge the trauma of nonstop news bulletins (too much!), pondering has become my new daily pastime.

Like everyone right now, my emotions range from anger to disbelief to awe. My thoughts swing from those of a no-nonsense journo to those of a random citizen to those of furious taxpayer.

I’ve pondered where the germs are and how long they stay on the supermarket trolley handle. I’ve pondered how I can whip up a DIY respirator at home, using just toilet rolls – no, I didn’t hoard them; I always buy the eight-pack – and the vacuum cleaner.

“As I sit contentedly in my social isolation – the older I get, the more introverted I become.” Picture: Richard Dobson

I’ve pondered the stock market and my superannuation fund. I’ve pondered how many people will become jobless or homeless, and how they’ll recover, and how landlords will pay their mortgages.

I’ve pondered that the public sector workers will have to now step up while the private sector bleeds. I’ve pondered how strange it is not to have a simple game of footy playing in the background as I potter around the house on a weekend.

And I have pondered what a few months without watching people chase a ball around a paddock will do to our national psyche.

I’ve pondered why on earth someone would want to eat a bat.

I’ve pondered how much I don’t need to shop online. And I’ve pondered how much I don’t need... full stop.

“I’ve pondered the stock market and my superannuation fund. I’ve pondered how many people will become jobless or homeless, and how they’ll recover.” (Picture: Supplied)

I’ve pondered what the Instagram influencers are now doing with their time. Do they lounge in trackie-daks like the rest of us? And who’s taking their hilarious photos now?

I’ve pondered how much we all take for granted – like going for a walk, to the supermarket, to a barbeque, to the cinema. And I’ve pondered how much we’ll enjoy queueing in the post office again when this is all over.

I’ve pondered how to lock my baby-boomer parents in the house, and keep my mother out of the hairdresser.

And because everything I touch around the house (from hair straighteners to toothpicks) has a massive made in China sticker, I’ve pondered how we can recharge our manufacturing industry when we come out the other side of this crisis.

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I’ve pondered how to punish powerful, dishonest countries when they blatantly do the wrong thing. Who hands out the punishment? And speaking of who, will we ever trust the World Health Organization again?

Samantha Armytage’s column features in this Sunday’s Stellar.

I’ve pondered the dissemination of propaganda and information. How many “experts” we use in this 24-hour news cycle, and how many of them are not really experts at all.

I’ve pondered how many people (mostly journalists!) don’t understand the levels of government in Australia, and who is responsible for what.

And since bloody Federation, I’ve pondered how we could abolish state governments who, quite frankly, I wouldn’t trust with running a chook raffle.

Most of all, I’ve pondered whether the human race will finally get it. When will we slow down? Change the way we live, work with nature and stop being greedy?

As I read on Instagram, during a pondering break, when you rush to return to normal, please consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.

Samantha co-hosts Sunrise, 5.30am weekdays, on the Seven Network.

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Originally published as What’s bothering Sam Armytage during lockdown? Well...