Glass Half Full - Keeping Positive
We are now into day 63 of lock down and although it has been deemed positive, I think the debate will continue on exactly what the correct approach could or should have been.
This has been an incredibly difficult time for a lot of people in our country, and the economic impact on much of the population is going to be felt for a long time to come. As 4C Recruitment and 4C Charitable Trust we are glad to be in the process of donating R45, 000 to school feeding schemes on the outskirts of Johannesburg, hopefully, to help some children and families through this difficult time.
With all the negativity, we do believe we can all take a few positives out of lock down. Chatting to my colleagues and our trustees, these were some of the positives we came up with:
Being more thankful for what we have, because we see so many people don’t have much at all - family and love, a job, health, a nice enough home, running water and food - these are all luxuries for many people.
Having more time to reflect on what is important and what our personal and professional goals are for the future.
In many industries there has been a slowdown, and perhaps it has been a good time to get off the hamster wheel, allowing time to get more exercise, do online courses and upskill ourselves.
Seeing people's generosity - making food parcels, kids from school donating their pocket money to the Solidarity Fund etc
Lack of traffic has allowed us to witness people really enjoying the time being out in the morning. With large amounts of people walking dogs and many kids learning to ride bikes on the quiet roads. At the same time, it has given some people the realisation of how the commute to work is a barrier to start and close off the work day.
Being more involved in kids’ schoolwork and projects and helping the kids where we can. It has definitely given an added appreciation for the part school structure and school friendships play our kids’ lives. Yet, some of the life lessons of online schooling will be of benefit to them for the rest of their lives.
Enjoying more time with family and doing stuff together- sports games in the garden, garden exercise and family bake-offs.
Taking notice of our immediate surroundings, such as the autumn trees and bird life.
Learning that actually, we can cook quite well and also enjoying adding our own unmeasured flair to old family recipes. A little this and a little that is usually how I describe my cooking- but please no more baking Banana Bread!
Coming together as a local community to support others as well as getting to know our neighbours better.
Touching base with people who we have not spoken to in long time for both business and social reasons (albeit on zoom) and listening to how they are looking to do things differently going forward both personally and professionally
Advanced level of Multitasking- Lol (working, cooking, looking after family, tidying up)
We have only heard positive stories of how productive and hard people have worked from home during this time. It was disappointing to hear of some non-essential services being expected to return to the office. We do believe the lock down has shown, that staff don't have to be seated in an office to be productive and efficient
As we head towards level three, we are fully aware of the difficult times ahead for all, but as someone said to us the other week, keeping a positive mindset, seeking the right assistance and keeping one another motivated, will get us out stronger on the other side! What have been your positive experiences of lock down over the past 62 days?