Carrie Bickmore: ‘My bikini line is the least of my worries’
With people around the world being asked to go without non-essentials during this lockdown period, The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore asks “What is essential, anyway?”
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So it seems coffee (preferably takeaway), seeing friends and family (preferably in person), and exercise (not in a 10-person boot camp) are right at the top of what I need in my life to survive.
Obviously, that’s putting aside food, water, good health, a job and a roof over my head, things I am certainly not taking for granted right now.
But, as our society slows down, we are continually being asked to remove all non-essential activities from our lives. But what feels “essential” to me may not feel “essential” to you.
Those who mocked others for panic-buying toilet paper ended up in a panic of their own with the mere thought that bottle shops might close down. Trolleys overloaded with enough beer to depress an entire nation.
Currently, attending to my bikini line is the least of my worries, but my girlfriend lost her mind when beauticians shut up shop. Her weekly shellac made her feel better about herself, along with wine, Uber Eats and seeing her boyfriend.
Seemingly out of nowhere, running also suddenly became an “essential” activity for her as she found ways to legitimately see her partner under the temporary bonk ban.
Contact with a boyfriend may seem like a non-essential activity for a married Victorian Premier, but it turns out six months without physical contact with your lover genuinely feels like a proposition worse than corona for some.
I am fortunate enough to live with my partner, but can no longer see my extended family the way I used to and the hole in my tummy is deep. I didn’t realise how much a real-life hug or a laugh with my parents filled my cup. Zoom just isn’t cutting it.
It’s the same for my parents, too; watching the grandkids race through the front door was the highlight of their week.
Who and what we deem essential is different for all of us depending on our circumstances, and it’s why our leaders have an unenviable task. It’s impossible to keep us all happy. But that’s not their job.
Their job is to keep us alive, which is why we all have to sacrifice a little to gain a lot.
The only problem is, the sacrifice doesn’t feel small for many people. It feels like they’ve had their worlds ripped out from under them.
With thousands unemployed and stressed, and families locked inside together for hours on end, the little “essential” things that until now kept our world turning feel more important than ever.
Escaping out of the house to grab a coffee with a friend or a game of golf or a gym trip may seem unnecessary to some, but those pre-corona activities were a lifeline for others.
So how do we get through these next few months in lockdown without the familiar activities and faces that we rely on? Without our “essentials”?
We have to find purpose, new ways to fill our time and our hearts and, who knows, we might get through to the other side with deeper connections, a stack more gratitude and a lot less reliance on caffeine.
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Carrie co-hosts The Project, 6.30pm weeknights on Network 10, and Carrie & Tommy, 3pm weekdays on the Hit Network.