Last night was a good night, since it was my weekly Zoom chat with a bunch of friends from across the country which acts as a regular pep talk, even though I do miss seeing them in person. It was just another reminder of how lucky I am to be surrounded by great people – even if that’s only ‘surrounded’ in the digital sense!

It’s a topic I keep harping on about but while coronavirus has thrown up many anxieties and uncertainties, it has also reminded me, on a daily basis, of how incredibly lucky I am, and how lovely people can be. Friends and strangers have bought me Ko-fis,  – I paid for a month’s groceries with the donations I have received since shutdown – and I have been inundated with lovely messages, care packages, and gifts, as well as offers of help that (fortunately) I haven’t needed to take up, but have made me a little less afraid of what is happening in the world.

I’ve written numerous times about how insecure my life is: single, with no siblings or parents, no financial cushion and a precarious income, living in a rented property. While I realise much of this is a choice (I left an office job to go freelance, after all), and it’s not one I’ve regretted (much!), it’s also not always the easiest path. But having such a bunch of amazing people in my corner makes me feel, even at my lowest, that I’ve done something right and keeps me going when I just want to crawl into a corner and cry.

Which is a long way of saying: look at this amazing hamper my friend N sent me today!

And also to say: if you have extended even the smallest kindness to someone during this crisis – thank you. You might not know how it has affected them, but it could also have made a difference that you can’t possibly have imagined.