The World Turned Upside Down

The World is Turned Upside Down for us all at the moment and even though here based in Dublin we may be less impacted than my many friends around the world, for once it looks as though the 'human race' are united in desire for the current situation to stop.

For once we can play a part by controlling our movements, and by playing our part, we are helping slow and hopefully reduce the threat we have only seen in movies. Surreal has a new meaning for us all. The threat is us.

The fires that raged in Sydney grabbed all our attention, but this fire is on our doorstep.

The heroes are many, they don't wear capes, they walk anonymously among us every day, or did. They eat with us, they are at the table next to us in a restaurant, on a train in the morning sitting opposite us, they work like us, are standing on the sideline at the same kids match you are watching, even if cheering on the other team, or stuck in the same traffic jam as we are. We rarely notice them as we are all living in our own worlds. There is nothing wrong with that normally, which brings me to my hopes for our future.

For those medical professionals, to those keeping the lights on, shelves filled, and so many unsung everyday heroes who are putting themselves second and not isolating but for the noblest of reasons. I offer you my thanks, and hope you can come through this as safely as possible and when this is beaten, you are remembered and cared for in the way you are caring for people today.

For the rest of us and the world in general, I hope that as well as remembering there are so many good things in life, but nothing better than the human spirit we keep some of the new habits today.

Here are just a few I have seen within my own family, please feel free to share yours.

• Call Grandparent's. Rota for each grandchild to call their grandmother one slot each day, so she is not lonely. They even checked television times so they wont call when she is busy. (She is in isolation but this way she says she does not feel alone, and is happy that she does not have to be exposed). The age range 16 to 33, and it was their idea. They have their own whats-app and ideas apparently.
• Family Cooking Day - Saturday is the day we chose, a different chef each week; We are 5 and whilst my youngest the 16 year old insists he is cooking pancakes, his sister at 23 tried a new recipe last night and cooked a lovely beef casserole. Middle child is next, once she finishes her assignments, which replaced her exams. To asked her to cook before hand would have been more dangerous than Covid 19. I am last in the hope that we are all safe by then and returning to the streets. It gives the lady that keeps the family altogether a break as well...they call her mum.
• Create an exercise space - my wife bought skipping ropes, two basket balls, a hoop, and some mats before it became clear that home was going to become a full time base, as always practical and can be done inside or out, just be careful with the basketballs inside. Do the garden ! Paint the shed !
• Read - and I don't mean the subtitles, email or the web. Pick up a book, even if its one you read before, take your mind away from the craziness. I had a great chat with my friend last night, we checked all was good here and with each other and started chatting. I mentioned I was reading and we discussed some different topics. I ordered two books afterwards via Amazon so will arrive at some stage, one for him and one for me.
• Turn Digital off. - Don't tell anyone I said that, they will think I am the devil. We sit down for dinner at night and no technology is anywhere to be seen, my wife was right no TV in the kitchen. I was not but will now shut down everything at night time, as always on not healthy. Play games, or cards, I know there are plenty of board games in the houses and if not play charades.
• 'Social Party' via Zoom, okay I don't mind whats the media, but I love that my wife, her two walking buddies shared three glasses (She said i could not say bottles) of wine last night between 8 PM & whenever. I popped into kitchen and waved on camera and left them to it. One in bed, one on the sofa and the other as I said sitting in the kitchen. (The one in bed just finished a 14 hours shift in hospital).
• Cook extra - again my wife the practical one makes an extra dinner each night as we know our good friend is in the hospital all day. We leave the extra dinner in the afore mentioned ladies porch, if it is eaten or not we do not know...but we are now getting requests in the returned plate we find each morning.
• Connect via video, or even by landline, or Skype, or letter. Just reach out, a 5 minute phone call, a chat from 2 Meters with the neighbor walking past from the window, or from the drive, maintain the social distancing rules, doesn't mean we have to ignore everyone.
• Quiz time - my brother-in-law sends a quiz out daily, random stuff and of course we all want to be first with the answers. We have now scheduled a 'live quiz' on Saturday after child number 2 has made dinner. We need to keep having fun and laughter is still best medicine.
• Apply the same rules of connection to your Work Family. These are important relationships too, we spend so much time together, check in. I am lucky that our organisation has been proactive on this and the leaders I work with are genuine. I will only share 1 best practice, and its the 'Coffee' Meetings, twice a week we have with South leader, we simply check in and make sure all are good.
• Ask for help, if you need it, tell someone, ask someone. You friends are available, its okay to be scared right now. If you are just lonely, do the same pick up the phone and use these words......'Hows the Craic', if they are from Ireland, they will chat forever.

Its Sunday afternoon, I found something else to add to the list, write a note. Please do your best to stay safe, and support your friends, neighbors and family, home and work ones. It distracted me for a while.

My heart goes out to those that have lost loved ones, I am not looking to trivialize in anyway, my dad always gave me a 'love for people and their potential', he always said 'take as you find', we have to live in the moment right now, but always have high hopes for the futures we make for ourselves and each other.