What a year last month was!
With the world now hunkered down to battle a new bio security threat there are some interesting observations to be made and lessons to be learned.
How have you coped with the changes you have had to make? What are you learning during a period in lockdown? What will be the lessons you take with you into the future?
The answers to those three questions will be as unique to us as we are as individuals. We all have our own way of coping and we have probably learned new ones. We are learning a lot in our current "bubble". As for the future, it will evolve and we will adapt to the new normal.
In my last post, 20 Things for 2020 with 20 Days to go we talked about a few ideas for things we might be able to do for this year and/or things that might happen.
What are we learning now?
We are learning:
1) What is really important: health, family and community. So easy to talk about in our formerly fast paced world and similarly easy not to give them enough attention.
2) If you're pointing the finger there are three pointing back: this is becoming especially true when thinking about the environmental impact we as a species are having on our planet. Prior to COVID-19 there was a growing movement suggesting that farming of animals was our big environmental problem. Within 2 weeks of human activity being curtailed we have seen significant positive change in poor environmental outcomes. All the while animal farming continues and looks set to pull many economies out of economic recession. Makes you think doesn't it?
3) Have a plan: there are many examples of households adapting to a new lifestyle where one of the first things they have done is mapped out a plan for their lockdown. If a plan is so important now - why didn't you have one before? Perhaps you did. Good for you.
4) Make your bed: the well known video by US Navy Admiral William McRaven outlines a series of valuable life skills. He starts with "Make your bed". This simple task sets the platform on a daily basis for so many other tasks to fall in line from. You can watch the video here
5) We can, and will, adapt quickly: it is both remarkable and encouraging to see how quickly we have adapted to a new normal. We have stayed at home, set up meetings on line, picked up the phone where previously we might not have, gone grocery shopping less frequently and used the food in our cupboards. There will be a longer term new normal to come. We will adapt to that too.
6) Exercise: with "nothing to do" it has been interesting to watch hoards of people flock to an exercise regime that they did not have before or simply start one. On so many levels physical exercise is so good for us.
7) Wet weather is not bad weather: here in Hawke's Bay we are in the grips of an extended drought. Weather presenters have managed to figure out that wet weather can be a good thing. The only difference between good weather and bad weather is what you are wearing - and your perspective!
8) Patience is a virtue: with social distancing now a new normal we have quickly adapted to, and accepted, waiting in a queue. We have also become more patient, perhaps tolerant is a better word, with our online business communication. Prior to lockdown there were memes of kids bursting in on their parents on video conferences. Now it's not uncommon and we are (more) accepting of that.
9) Life goes on: simultaneously life as we knew it has been put on hold and still life goes on. Babies continue to be delivered and people continue to come to the end of their natural life. The world has not stopped. Life goes on.
10) We will not "go back to normal": we don't know exactly what the future holds but we do know that it wont be the same as it was pre COVID-19. That's ok. This video clip captures some thinking about what we might have to look forward to.
