Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Ilona Hanne - We can learn something from my 13-year-old

Editor Ilona Hanne says her daughter (pictured left) was still smiling under her mask after getting her first dose of the vaccine last week. Photo / supplied

Opinion:

I don't think I have ever met a pessimistic child.

Maybe I have just been lucky, but every child I have met seems to have a glass-half-full kind of outlook on life. Where the adults in their life see rain, they seem to spot rainbows and the chance of a muddy puddle to jump in.

Sadly, for most of us, it seems that becoming a grown-up can mean a shift in thinking from half-full to half-empty. I experienced the difference this week, when I found myself in a line with my 13-year-old daughter. We were queuing for over an hour outside Stratford's War Memorial Centre in order for her to get her Covid-19 vaccine and I, like most of the adults in the queue, was getting impatient. Meanwhile, despite the fact she was waiting to have a needle jabbed into her arm, Miss 13 was her usual happy self.

Out of the blue, she asked me, "do you know what this queue reminds me of?"

No, I didn't, but if pushed maybe I could compare it to the days of school visits to the dental clinic, when we would dismally line up outside the "murder room", waiting for our turn to be berated about our lolly habits or even worse, hear the sinister drone of the dentist's drill.

Before I could reply however, Miss 13 was answering her own question.

"It's just like the queues at Disneyland."

When I cautiously asked how on earth she had reached that conclusion, she pointed out the way the line had hidden twists in it, plus we were standing in the sunshine "just like in California" oh, and instead of everyone wearing mouse ears, they all have masks on.

After establishing she wasn't really expecting Mickey Mouse himself to be present, as we continued to wait in line, I realised there was a lesson to be learned from her attitude.

As adults we all too often get caught up in being frustrated by what we can't control. We worry, panic and even get angry as we find ourselves in long lines, or back in lockdown wearing masks. The reality is, most of us can't control the situation we are currently in. We can do our bit of course, by staying in our bubbles, wearing masks, getting vaccinated if able, and so on, but we can't actually control much of all that is happening right now.

Perhaps we need to take a leaf out of my 13-year-old's book. We can't control this situation, but we can control our reaction to it. Instead of looking for the faults and the reasons to be unhappy, maybe we should relax and enjoy the ride (mouse ears optional).