I don’t know about you but I am ‘zoomed out’ and fed up with virtual engagement. It was fun and exciting to start off with, and I think will be more readily used from now on, but it isn’t the same as getting in a room and having a genuine face-to-face experience.
I was on a Microsoft Teams meeting, last week, for a business update and plans moving forward, when the host started to ‘break up’ and his connection was intermittent. There were 50+ people on this session and we couldn’t hear the host. After he dialled in again, with no success, he phoned in and announced his computer had also crashed.
It was funny, and everyone was very forgiving but this is the reality, it didn’t work. I know there are many examples of perfect sessions and meetings that do go well but it does depend on having access to the right technology and following meeting protocols.
On a positive note: Football is coming back, yes! Will the season really be finished?
I know quite a few of you probably don’t really care but, for me, it means something else. Shops are opening, people are returning to work and life is starting to ease back to normality. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
I am watching the coronavirus updates, every day, and hoping that the easing of restrictions does not bring us a second spike. This lock down has made me more appreciative of so many things I had probably taken for granted. Meeting with friends, going to the pub, watching my Son play football, hugging my family, these are some of the things, I now realise, mean so much.
What has this experience done for you? What positive messages have you taken?
I am also grateful for the sunny weather we have had, as this situation would have been so much harder if we were stuck inside due to the rain. It’s amazing how people have coped and distracted them selves with exercise regimes, hobbies, improving skills and learning new things.
I have done more exercise, but, I ran out of steam when it came to DIY. I started off well and painted doors, radiators and skirting boards, but I got bored! Some people focussed on their gardening, some on health and well-being and some on home improvements. Never have I had so much time to just ‘do things’.
I also have appreciated having time to talk with my family on another level. Not just the routine “Hi, how was your day” conversation, real in depth chats that have brought us closer together.
This is a year that I will never forget. Yes, there are some negatives about this situation and I am having to be careful with cash flow and managing my bills but there are some positives to hold on to.
I trust you are also managing to take some positives from this time in your life.