The life lessons of lockdown...

It seems like an age since I last updated my blog, and I can make all the excuses I want about why I didn’t do it, however it felt like it was the right time to pick it back up again after let's call it an extended break…

So, I’m back, and this time I’m going to try my very best to continue releasing some form of update every couple of weeks... or maybe monthly, we’ll see.

First things first though, what am I going to cover in this update? I think due to the current situation, it’s quite fitting to tell you a little bit about what I’ve been up to over the last 4 weeks, especially seeing as 3 of them were spent at home whilst I waited to start my new venture with Slalom.  

On the 23rd March 2020, the whole country went into lockdown… On the 27th March 2020, I left my position in my previous company, and had three weeks off before starting my current position with Slalom. I’d be lying to you if I was to say I wasn’t concerned about the whole situation. I’d been watching the news a lot and seeing firsthand what was happening to the economy and how people had suddenly been catapulted into uncertainty. So before I begin, I just want to say how lucky I am to have still been able to start with Slalom. I’ve seen a lot of people who have had a very different outcome, which is truly devastating, and my sympathy really does go out to anyone who has been affected.

Now, like anybody who has a rare break in between positions, I had three weeks planned that were jam packed with activities, ranging from golfing at the Belfry, to going over to the Peak District for some very needed down time. Just like everybody else though, my plans had been thrown up into the air and were completely out of anyone’s control, and I was now facing three weeks at home. That obviously isn’t including the two luxuries that were now in my life, exercise and doing the weekly shop… How life has changed. 

As we made our way through the first week, one thing that became apparent was that we really weren’t prepared for this, we were quite literally all over the show. To make matters slightly more interesting, Millie’s final molars decided they wanted to make their journey down just as Monday approached, so not only could we not leave the house, but we were also now getting up at five in the morning. Oh to be a parent in lockdown.

We very quickly learned that in order to make the most of the time together, we were going to need to put some form of a routine in place… and that’s what we did. By Friday, we had a schedule for every day of the week with different activities, meaning Millie doesn’t get bored and we both get a rest every hour or so… everyone’s is a winner. Let me introduce you to the first life lesson of lockdown, if we’re ever in this situation again and there’s a toddler in the household, make sure there’s a plan in place, seriously… without one it’s extremely hard work. Thankfully, the teething only lasted until the first weekend, so as the second week approached things started to get a little more enjoyable.

As we entered week two, something happened that hasn’t in five years… I went for a run. Now I’m sure I’m not alone on this, but who else can admit that being in lockdown has somehow turned you into an athlete who’s training for the London Marathon next year? Running outdoors isn’t up there on my list of priorities when I’ve got some free time, however I came to find that there’s something quite therapeutic about running, and it’s something that I’m definitely going to continue doing as we start to break out of this… Maybe some good has come out of this?

That did however come to a very abrupt end in the final week unfortunately, life lesson number two of lockdown is when running outdoors, wear the correct footwear. Just because they look like running trainers, doesn’t mean they are. So currently I’m sidelined, and it’s back to exercising in the garden… I did have a contingency plan thankfully, and out came the chipping net and putting green I’d purchased a couple of weeks ago, phew.

Week three came around fast, and it soon dawned on me that this was my final week at home with my family. Well, not at home, we’re obviously going to be at home for the foreseeable future, however it was the last week I was going to be able to spend a considerable amount of time with everyone. Thanks to mother nature, I was also able to dust off the BBQ in the final week, meaning a lot of the time was spent in the garden, eating, drinking and soaking up as much vitamin D as was humanly possible.

I also spent some time reflecting on the time we had spent together, and I came to the conclusion that the time we spend with our families is something I believe a lot of people can overlook, with me included.  We’re all so busy with our daily working routines, it’s very rare you get the chance to down tools and spend quality time together. Especially with the age Millie’s at, she turned one a couple of months ago, so is now starting to walk and do things that I previously would have missed. So the final life lesson of lockdown, is to remember to appreciate the time you spend with your family, and not take the time you do have with them for granted.

And that’s that. That’s exactly how my three weeks in between employment were spent in lockdown. Hopefully one of my lessons of lockdown have inspired you in some way, and you too can start to start feeling slightly better about the whole situation.

What next? Well, I as I’ve touched on above, last week I started my journey with Slalom, and I think it’s only right to leave you on a bit of a cliff hanger for the next update, so I’ll leave you with the below…

Make sure you look out for the next update, and I’ll tell you all about how my first few weeks at Slalom have been!