Gratitude & Coronavirus

Gratitude & Coronavirus

The UK is about 5 weeks into the pandemic, 2020 is not going as I thought it would, I’m sure you feel the same way too? For many people life as they know it is on hold, however for some not a lot has changed. I fall into the 2nd category, although work is very different, I can work via phone, Skype, email etc, my events and training however are a different issue.

So how are you spending your time during this hiatus? Many people are using the time wisely; cleaning their houses and cars, ploughing through that list of jobs that you promised you would do one day but have just been to busy to do for years and the like. Some have become experts on games and are furiously posting on social media every minute of their lives to kill the boredom. I have to be honest and say life is not really drastically different for us, here’s why:

We both work from home anyway so we are both at home most of the time, the only difference is that my partner is not popping in and out on errands and seeing clients and I don’t have a stream of clients coming to see me nor are we out at the events we usually do, this is not the end of the world for me as I have felt changes coming for some time now, this may be the transition.

When it comes to food, the panic buying did not really touch us, my partner is one of those who will use every bit of a chicken, including boiling the carcass to make soup, stock or both. He’d be great on Ready, Steady, Cook as he can make a meal out of most random items and it will be tasty and nutritious.

I spent the first week of lockdown on the phone to various government offices and financial establishments DWP/HMRC/my bank/mortgage company etc to find out what assistance was there for us then I spent another week on technical issues so that left the 3rd week where I feel like I am finally getting to work on the projects that I have had on my to-do list for years!

I’m glad we were allowed to exercise so I have left the house but in my normal working week that is quite often the only time I leave the house so that has not really changed either!

I love what I do and I love seeing my clients, however not having the manic diary that I usually have has given me space, that space has allowed me to think about where I want my business to go, how I want to grow. I’ve enjoyed being quieter, I’ve enjoyed doing stuff for me instead of always being there for others, I sort of miss it all too though, but having a break does make us appreciate things we take for granted, even the annoying person in the office might start to be a welcome return to normality!!

We are being more creative financially because times are challenging, but we seem to be living like kings, one of our local fishing businesses is supplying the public as a result of their catering trade having gone due to this lockdown, it is fresh, local and very reasonably priced so we are supporting them, we love fish but we rarely have skate, salmon, lobster, crab etc as much as we are doing right now.

We are shopping differently, we’ve never done a big shop, instead we tend to go when we fancy something for dinner so we go most days, my partner is not keen to go that frequently right now so we are going once a week.

We are buying our meat from the local butcher and veg from the local fruitier which we do sporadically usually, many of our friends are doing the same, let’s hope this is the future for local businesses and that they don’t go back to using the supermarkets quite as much.

I really love the creativity that I am seeing in people right now, they are coming up with old ways of doing things as well as new to get them exercise and to stop them getting bored.

I love the fact people like Joe Wicks who nobody took notice of is now a viral sensation and millions of people are watching his workouts, oddly TV companies around the globe want him now! Glad that some people are benefiting from this but in a good way. Sadly, the criminals and unsavoury people are equally creative in finding new ways to rip people off or to profiteer from the situation.

It is sad to see how many people have become hard, selfish and antisocial during this Coronavirus pandemic, panic buying with no thought to others, ignoring social distancing, judging people with no knowledge of the true situation, however this has been outweighed by those who’ve discovered their ‘war spirit’ and have gone above and beyond to help those worse off, manning food banks, cooking for the vulnerable, working even though this puts them at risk, caring for those who are ill with a range of illnesses as well as Coronavirus.

Most of us are guilty for taking things for granted, I know I take my partner for granted, he always does the cooking, I rarely get in the kitchen but I know he enjoys it and I do offer to cook. We take it for granted that we have freedom to move around, many countries had a full lockdown, with no room to escape the house AT ALL, with the police given powers to arrest people not adhering to the laws.

We take our health for granted until someone we love gets ill or worse we get ill, it is true when they say ‘youth is wasted on the young’ it is, it is only when you are older or have poor health that you wish you’d taken better care of yourself when you were younger. Even fit people can be struck down suddenly.

I’m sure there are many people and businesses that took their trade for granted, who expected pubs and restaurants to be closed? Even the takeaway that we take for granted is not so readily available.

Many people do not like their jobs but at least they have a job and the income from it, many people now are realising that they moaned about their job but would give almost anything to have it back now!

Look around your friends and family, see how much you miss being with them, for many people this social isolation is their normal day, imagine 5/10/20 years of this as a disabled person or as an elderly person, single or not. I hope that this situation will allow for more compassion and understanding of those who live in isolation on a daily basis.

I love the way neighbours have created groups on Facebook and WhatsApp and other similar apps so they can all talk and see who needs what, if anything. For many this is the only contact they have had with neighbours since moving into that property, that may be due to shyness, working shifts, long hours, just different working patterns etc, we need community and this has proved how much better we are as a community.

Finally, we are valuing our key works like nurses, doctors, pharmacies, firemen and police, it’s great we come out and clap for them to show our support but I’m sure being better paid would be more appropriate when this is all over.

It is great to see people have ideas on how to help the community, on how to fulfil a need or to create a new service or product etc to help at this time. So instead of being busy doing nothing, use the time wisely to allow inspiration and new ways of being come to you.

Now is the time to get used to living in the moment, rather than being flat out 24/7 and unable to enjoy who we have in our life, the things we have in our life, it is the right time to think about the kind of life we want when this is over, I don’t doubt that for many people going back to how it was is not an option.

So in amongst all my usual day to day tasks, I am also building in more me time, I’m not sure if my run is ‘me time’ or not, I do it because I need to get some exercise instead of being chained to my desk, I also need to lose weight. I’ve picked up my flute for the first time in months and I am ploughing through learning a new language, by the time this is over I should be able to speak 4 languages including English!

I’ve given myself time to sit in the garden and sunbathe, I’ve allowed myself to change my sleeping pattern as well as changing my diet a bit. I don’t have lunch most days right now because I am not getting enough exercise so a few less calories is no bad thing, it also means less shopping trips!

We are missing friends and family but so far, we have been lucky and they are all well, that has been our main goal, we’d hate to be responsible for someone we love getting sick or dying.

I love the way so many people are living the #bekind ethos, we have no idea what a person is going through in their life or what their status is so be kind to all, they may be a key worker or they may have mental health issues and need that kindness. Smile at people, do something nice for someone and ask them to pay it forwards.

This pandemic is the perfect mechanism for many to accomplish their soul contracts and soul purposes, out of adversity comes something positive, it gives humanity a chance to be humane and compassionate, so although this is a terrible situation there are many positives to be found in it. It is only all negative if we allow ourselves to see it from that position.

Weird as it may sound, I am actually grateful for this pandemic, the planet needs it as does humanity, this might just save the lives of the planet and everyone on it!

So make a list of all you are grateful for right now, however temporary, focus on what you have and not what you do not have. Stay safe!

#gratitude #bekind #coronavirus #payitforward #inspiration #attitudeofgratitude #positivementalattitude #soulcontracts #soulpurpose #humanity #compassion

 

 

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