My latest personal tip is puppies. Yes, we have a new puppy. Our beautiful old dog was put down last year and I tried unsuccessfully to be a pet-free house for a few months, but the furry friend gap was huge.
So we now have Mac – a wee foxy-poodle cross, with a tonne of character packed into a tiny teddy-like package. And that means toileting accidents and sharp little teeth and the start of what I hope will be a short destructive phase and early morning wake-ups ... it's not unlike a newborn!
But he is just gorgeous and a wonderful distraction from the overwhelming debate about the protest in Wellington and the presence of white supremacists (not even in the shadows). I am actively reducing my social media addiction and replacing it with a loyal, if demanding, small companion.
It is not an easy time and is likely to get even harder with our local communities, particularly our schools, facing Omicron cases and no longer looming. Maybe it's easier now it will be a reality and not just a threat. I know I like certainty, which we do not have, but good-quality information and a plan for when we're affected directly is making a difference. We will see.
For me right now, it's about how to do we turn the tired words around kindness into action as we are within the thick of internalising a really complicated situation around perceived impacts on our most fundamental rights – to safety, to health, for ourselves and our communities. But for some of us, mandates, vaccinations and wearing masks are protecting those rights.
If you are feeling more vulnerable than usual, please reach out to someone – your doctor, a friend, a helpline. This too will pass, but get the help you need to get through.
• Nicola Patrick is a mum of two boys, a Horizons councillor, leads Thrive Whanganui, is a Green Party member and has a science degree.
