Two Months & Counting...
We’ve passed two months since our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, locked us down and a few weeks in I wrote my first blog giving my observations as to how us humans were coping.
People have been asking me to write another, so this time I thought I’d share what this strange, dystopian, scary and life-changing time is teaching me. I’ve prefaced each of the points ‘I’ve learnt’ but for most you could also read ‘re-learnt’ as in: I already knew this but, boy, has this time reinforced it.
OK, I’ve learnt…
How it feels to live with a low-lying ‘buzz’ of fear/anxiety. I am very lucky in that I’ve rarely felt this in my life and I am keen to remember it so that I can empathise – to some extent – and support those friends, family and colleagues who feel this regularly, while also acknowledging how much more unsettling it would feel if I didn’t know its source.
How it feels to be out of control of something which is massively impacting my life. Again, I’m blessed in that – in my recent life at least – I’ve largely been able to control or at least ‘steward’ my life and I’ve learned this really isn’t comfortable for me.
How much I enjoy working with superb people who teach, guide and support me every day and how much I enjoy offering this in return. (And how easy – and actually …OK! - it is to use Zoom/Teams/Webex et al to connect with them and how much time/life, carbon, and cash this saves.)
How vital my friends are to me; real friends, who I can be completely myself with and who look me right in the eye – even down a computer screen/phone – and make me feel safe and loved.
How important laughter is – hence the plethora of gifs, memes and mini films in circulation - but also, the courage to cry.
How important it is to value the fundamental things, not everyone is blessed with… our health, the health of our loved ones, a trusting, loving partner and the safety and security of a home and an income. As well as the small things… a glass of something chilled in a garden, a sunset, a squirrel, a cuddle, a walk or bike ride in the country, a quiet moment in the early morning before the world is awake,
How, when you let your guard down and tell someone you don’t know (either), that you’re scared, worried or just having a bad day, they do the same and you both end up feeling better.
How people can still shock me in how cruel, small minded, selfish, harsh, petty, opinionated, gullible and weak they can be.
How people can still shock me in how committed, hard-working, funny, clever, creative, resilient, kind, selfless and strong they can be.
But most memorable for me will be how quickly we all learned, adopted and adapted to this ‘new normal’ and still found ways to be happy and productive and … living our lives and running our businesses. Curtailed lives and businesses, in many ways, yes. But still, we’re doing it.
And I really do hope we don’t do the human thing of having short memories because the things we’re learning and feeling now will, I think and I hope, change us. In some ways bad, for sure, but also good, profoundly and forever.
What have you learnt? (and is it learned or learnt - big debate here about that!)
Partner | Employment Lawyer | Advising Leisure & Hospitality Businesses on Complex and Sensitive Legal Matters
4 年Great piece Sandy and certainly ringing a few bells with me. I’ve also been impressed by the resourcefulness of people and how they’ve quietly adapted to these new conditions and got on with it!??
Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the North West Business Leadership Team and Member of the NWBLT Rising Stars
4 年That is a lovely read and absolutely sums up how I’ve been feeling. Colleagues that I have known for a long time through work from across so many different organisations have suddenly become so important. Not least as we are all spending so much time looking at each other across the many different video calls. Although we can’t have the old school social chats in the margins of the meetings the genuine questions about the health of me and my friends/family has felt really genuine even from new acquaintances over email. Even the sign off on emails has felt like people really care. Thanks for producing such an uplifting blog.
Owner of G & Tea Cafe Ltd
4 年It’s the lack of control that I miss the most- and the teachers ( for Indy)- I now know why I only had one child and didn’t go into the teaching profession! Great blog , thank you .
Director | Connecting Lancashire's top Finance Leaders | Joining the Dots Podcast Host
4 年Thank you for sharing this Sandy, I've learnt soooo much during this time and honestly feel as though I needed lockdown to slow down and take notice of the world around me. One reminder that has stood out to me is the importance of human connection, community and what a lovely place the world is when we are focusing more on kindness and understanding one another. ??
Helping you achieve goals by influencing people with PR, Copywriting & Photography. Super-connector. ??????????
4 年Thanks for this Sandy - you've captured so much of this well. I've been reminded: - How important the simple things in life are and the joy they offer; - How important personal freedom of movement is - how much did we all look forward to our outdoor exercise when it was only once daily - How to recognise & embrace the positive flipside of almost any situation - less work? More unpressured time for learning, home DIY, maintenance and gardening (our fences have never had their touch-up completed so early!) - To embrace the loss of complete control when you can't change it. The wisdom goes "Every problem in life has one of four solutions: 1. Change the situation; 2. Change yourself (how you feel about it); 3. Get out; 4. Get used to it. As you say, we've had to 4 and maybe a bit of 2. An old OUBS Strategy exam question is "To steer is Heaven, to drift is Hell. Discuss in the context of strategy." In Lockdown we've all had to learn to deal with drifting in areas of our lives, whether we enjoy it or not. I've focussed on the positives and accepted the negatives in the belief they won't be for ever. - How my commitment to tackling domestic jobs alone can make my wife happier. Take care Sandy and hope you and yours are safe ??