Not my words (ref PH), and I'm sure there are many others around expressing similar sentiments.
While the spread of Coronavirus has some sectors of society working flat out to ensure the continued health of the rest, for many the current shutdown offers a sobering chance to reflect. Be it on freedoms once taken for granted, day-to-day relationships now put on hold, or plans perpetually put off till the future which might soon be given greater priority, there's a lot to consider during the long hours of self-isolation.
Things are no different for those of us of a petrolhead persuasion. The joys of simply going out for a drive, of huddling around an engine bay at a Sunday Service, or of plotting another balmy jaunt down to Le Mans all once seemed as certain as the setting sun - now they could hardly feel less tangible. It's as if we've pressed pause on life itself.
Which is of course also the case for factories up and down the country. The doors are shut, the lights are off, the workers are home and the cars left unfinished. One day in the not-too-distant future, though, the production lines will fire up once again. A 6.0-litre W12 will be mated to an eight-speed all-wheel drive transmission, swathes of supple leather and a suite of mind-boggling dynamic technology to create a machine of incredible bandwidth. The kind of 21st century wizardry that it had previously been all too easy to become blasé about.
The same principle can be applied whatever's sitting dormant in the garage, though, whoever's company you've missed, and wherever your next road trip is set to take you. One day in the not-too-distant future, we'll fire up our cars again - and hopefully we'll all appreciate the experience that little bit more.
Jeff