Its all about options!
Late March 2020 - The building which houses the clinic I work from has just been closed. What now. Emails flying in, everyone trying to activate the plan for changing to home working and remote consultations with patients. It’s all go for a few days then national lockdown and majority of the work force furloughed.
Early April - I join my colleagues on furlough. What now. The house needs some work and summers round the corner so the garden could do with a tidy up. The other half is still working so I need to occupy myself till 4pm.
I enjoy DIY and Gardening and always listen to podcasts or the radio as I work. So podcast on and I threw myself in with multiple projects. I’ll make that mirror, let’s get rid of that bathroom I’ve been meaning to knock out (who puts a bathroom in a kitchen away!), bathrooms out - what a mess, that needs decorating, That’s better, kitchen needs revamping, ooo the suns out, letting do something in the garden...Time for the weekly family zoom quiz!
Mid May - I wake up with little motivation. I’ve enjoyed lockdown. Getting paid to tidy up my own house. Can’t be bad. What’s up with me?
I realised that I was DIY’d out and the presenters voice on my favourite podcast was starting to grate on me. Without the variety of activities available to me I’d fallen out of love with things which used to give me so much pleasure. What are my choices for today? Watch some telly, get the wii our the loft (a loft that I had on my list to tidy but I don’t want to do it now), more DIY, more gardening? I didn’t fancy it. I’ll go for walk with the fiancé when she gets in. Do one job today - fill your day.
Some people are still having to work, some groups of people have been in lockdown even longer than me. Some people are dying, some people are dealing with the loss of loved ones! I should feel lucky.
Early June - time to switch with the other manager. I feel ready to do something. Good timing. Furloughs been good but I learnt that being restricted is not fun. Having limited options reduces the enjoyment in life. I am lucky to have the life I do. Other people in society don’t have the same options as me. They live the negative aspects of my furlough every day. What can I do to give people more options in life - my new mission.
Thank you to Rebecca Tarry for providing the artwork.