Counting Kindnesses

Let me tell you not about shoppers hoarding and getting into punch ups, but about all the kindness around me, all the nice things that people around me are doing to help me, and each other, as we deal with uncertain times.

I don’t know about you, but I am well and truly over hearing about the hoarding and the pettiness of the human race at this time. Unfortunately, it is the reality that we are living through, and supermarket brawls are much more sexy for the media than what I am writing right now.

But it is important for us all to take a look around us and remind ourselves of the things we have to be thankful for. I am feeling incredibly grateful for all the little kindnesses that have been shown to me by those near me, both physically and emotionally.

I travel for work, a lot. And last weekend I came down with a cough and sore throat etc, and with recent international and domestic travel, that means I am now in isolation (I’m totally fine, I’m in isolation for everyone else’s protection, not my own). My better half is currently in Tasmania (and thankfully, he will be allowed to get on the ferry to begin his journey home tonight), and so I have been properly stranded at home. As I began the week, I was delighted by the chance to spend some quality time at home with my cat, and I remain so, but the gloss of going totally solo is wearing a little thin.

However, while I’m restricted to home base, I am by no means struggling. I am surrounded by people demonstrating that humanity are not all petty. There are still kind and generous acts, all around us, every single day. We don’t all have the ability to make grand gestures like Alan Joyce and sacrifice our salary for the rest of the financial year, but look around you, and think about all the kind things that you and your friends and family have been doing for one another. You may be surprised by how many things you have to be thankful and grateful for.

Let me begin for you all…

My kind and beautiful neighbour: she has been checking in every day or so and bringing me fresh produce supplies, I get a lovely sms with lots of smiley faces and kisses and then walk to the front door to see a special delivery. She has been and continues to be amazing (right now she is getting me some very unnecessary, but desperately wanted hot cross buns!). 

Likewise, my sister: in the midst of one of the most intense starts to a new job that anyone can imagine, has made time and effort and has made late night deliveries of my favourite things to keep me sane. 

Another one of my neighbours: came around to my place and my other neighbours and brought us all some toilet paper. She had some and wanted to make sure we all had some too.

My work colleagues: what can I not say about these guys – in the normal course of things we spend our days on the road teaching people, but right now we are all house-bound and spending time working together through developing online learning content, and we are thriving. Having passionate people who are positive about what we are doing and not doom and gloom about what is happening makes a huge difference to how I approach my workday each morning. We have found a way to use the situation to our advantage to fill a hole in our business, perhaps others may be able to do the same?

And one other thing: in among all the work focus, one dear colleague had the bright idea to share a photo of her office assistant and asked to see ours. Guess which conversation thread has the most posts and replies this week? Yep… you guessed it: the one where we all share a photo of our pets/children joining us in our mini-isolation. We have been able to connect with one another in a non-work way and provide each other with a brief, but brilliant dose of happiness. And what’s not to love about pictures of our pets invading our work space?

A wonderful friend in NZ: each morning we start our day with a little chat, we check our “work temperature”: have we got our work mojo? Are we feeling productive or are we unfocused? We then set our own expectations for the day, tell the other person, and we hold one another accountable for our progress. 

But we are also there for each other with a pep talk if one of us falls off the wagon – we are not perfect, the social media and all the bad news can’t help but seep into your day, so when we find ourselves distracted, we reach out, chat a bit, set a 40 minute timer with a promise to check in at the end and update on our work progress and then we re-focus. We have different jobs, we don’t work for the same company, but we are both driven people who have high expectations of ourselves and guilt trip over poor performance, so rather than wallowing in the guilt, we are helping each other move out of the guilt and move into our work zone. And having a lovely friend to chat to when in isolation is a great perk too.

My life coach: she posts regularly on LinkedIn. She is absolutely brilliant, and whenever I see something she has posted or shared I always read it, knowing that it will be a breath of fresh air and is guaranteed to make me feel better. In among all the chores and necessary things you have to do, think about the things that make you feel good and make time for those too. Just remember to prioritise and don’t make it all about the Netflix binge ??

My parents: every day they call or message and ask how myself (and my ailing geriatric kitty) are doing. We spend time to chat each day. We may be isolated from one another, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still be there for one another (thank you FaceTime!). It may not sound like a high impact thing to some of you, but for me, knowing I am loved and that someone is thinking of me is one of the most wonderful gifts.

My friends: we have bandied around the idea of a “Virtual Cocktail Night”… Webcams and cocktail shakers – you may not think that they mix too well, but we will find out and I will tell you how that experiment works out. Our cocktail nights together are a time we all look forward to as downtime, we hang out in our pajamas like we’re still teenagers at a sleep over, drink cocktails and watch movies, and it is the thing I look forward to most. Right now we can’t meet in person, but we plan to try to find a way to do it anyway – having people willing to be nimble and work with the situation as it develops and adjust their methods accordingly, those are the best kinds of friends a girl can have.

Each of these things on their own may seem low impact, but when you add up the accumulation of kindness, it is a wealth beyond measure. I am truly thankful and grateful for all the kind and wonderful people in my life. Now hurry up and come home from Tassie JP, I need someone to share morning coffee with!

Must run... my hot cross buns are on my doorstep now.