IN years to come we will look back on 2020 as the year of the virus, when everything stopped, everything went quiet, and we were asked to give up on some essential freedoms for the greater good.
I know it is not easy, and as a mother of three young children I know it is especially bewildering for the younger generation who, rightly, take freedom of movement for granted.
When our children and grandchildren look back on this time they will remember a time when they had to stay indoors for weeks on end, they couldn’t see their friends, couldn’t see Granny or Granda, and when school holidays lasted for half a year.
When that generation looks back on 2020 it is important too that they recall, read about and discuss the sacrifices that we all willingly made in order to combat coronavirus as quickly and effectively as possible.
This will be recorded as the year we all helped to save lives by simply staying at home.
For those of us in government, adapting to the coronavirus crisis means setting the usual rule book to one side and taking very quick decisions on hugely significant matters.
Frankly that is a daunting responsibility, and one which no minister in the Northern Ireland Executive takes lightly.
Measures we have initiated and which are continuing weigh on my shoulders, day and night, and I am acutely aware of the pain we are asking people to absorb.
But that's my job and I won’t back away from it.
Of course the Executive does not agree on every specific measure.
That is only natural - most governments will have internal discussion about how to move forward so such debates are a certainty in a coalition of five parties.
What is not inevitable is the public airing of those different viewpoints and it is disappointing that two parties have at times seemed determined to undermine each other's position publicly and in behind-the-scenes briefings.
Even in an unprecedented crisis, it seems old habits die hard.
The place for discussion, argument and eventual agreement is around the Executive table, not in front of a microphone and certainly not in the midst of a public health crisis.
We are asking a lot of the public at the moment. The least they are entitled to in return is that a united and agreed position is communicated from their government.
The coronavirus crisis and the response of our people does provide a glimpse into what the new normality might look like.
The absence of people from the streets and roads and the enforced economic slow down has led to cleaner air, quieter streets, a new way of interaction between public service and private citizen.
It is important, in fact it is essential, that we learn what we can from these enforced measures and apply them where appropriate when the lockdown is lifted.
Do we really need to flood into the centres of our towns and cities for work each day?
Can we find an accommodation between a resumption of normal travel and the need for a sustainable economy?
I will play my part in leading these discussions and taking whatever positives we can from this current situation.
The evidence which is now emerging suggests that the curve has been flattened and our NHS locally will cope with this phase, largely due to the adherence of the public - that's you, and your family - to the social distancing measures and to people staying at home.
Now is not the time for easing up, the job is not finished yet.
It is imperative that we stick to the guidelines and not let restlessness or impatience undermine the achievements so far.
A new day is coming. We will once again meet our friends, neighbours, team-mates and family in the street and in each other's homes. This darkness will pass.
When it does, and future generations ask what it was like, I want to be able to say ‘I did my part’.
Make sure you can say that too.
Nichola Mallon is Minister for Infrastructure, SDLP deputy leader and a North Belfast MLA
