Today is Tuesday, right?
… It’s definitely Monday. The days have started to blur together. Musings by Jen Thompson.
Well, I was definitely that person who, from the get-go, had fun(ny) family dynamics during my video conference calls. My daughter decided to do a brief dance in the background (sans clothes). Yes, it was funny and innocent, and I will always remember it during these odd/crazy/unprecedented/nutty/whatever-you-want-to-call-it times. I do admit, despite the now 20th article I’ve read about ‘good work from home practices’ that tell me to set boundaries and not do laundry during the day, my laundry has never been as caught up as it is now. And now, as I am home all day every day, I notice yet another spot in my house daily that needs organizing and cleaning out. What am I going to do when I have cleaned out and organized everything? … Oh wait, just kidding, that will probably never happen. I have noticed that, despite being at home more, I still don’t have the time to do everything on my growing to-do list. There’s still back-to-back meetings, making food for the family, prepping the garden, and staying up with the news.
We all live multiple personas. What is hard to grasp is which persona to focus on. There’re positives, there’re` negatives. How do you keep the right perspective?
As a consultant, I often feel obligated to stay up to date with many of the latest new trends, methodologies, technologies, and more. That said, I believe it is impossible to ‘keep up’. There are new ways to physically work, engage and communicate with others, maintain personal mental and physical stigma. Where do you focus your energy and what ‘really matters’? What can we do now, today, that will truly impact the time beyond this current state? We’ve been talking with our clients about how to continue to think farther ahead about their organizational goals including product launches, recruiting and hiring, infrastructure and supply chain processes, and more. Foundational efforts that we can implement now, even small ones, may make a significant difference on the other side of this. The most impactful approach is to truly listen. Listen to individual’s pain points, concerns, fears. There may not be solutions, but listening is helpful during these times.
As a mother and wife, I am appreciating the multiple silent hugs throughout the day during my meetings, while also figuring out how to maintain a schedule and ensure we can continue to educate and stimulate our children. Yes, the kids’ screen time has increased, but so have our conversations, play, outdoor physical activity, and creativity. Perhaps this balance is a reasonable shift from our previous norm.
As a farmer, I can appreciate the fact that we are moving into our growing season. I am enthused by the idea of cultivating food close to home to prevent exposure due to grocery store visits. I am enthused that we may discover new ways of food production closer to home. I am enthused about seeking alternative medicines to preventatively increase our immunities to future viruses. Perhaps everyone will dig up their grass, mend their soil, and plant food… one could hope… we need to support those that cannot purchase healthy food now more than ever.
As a social being, I am discouraged about the fact that I visibly observe this crisis creating (forced) distance and seemingly more distrust and between people. The other day, my mother shook her finger at me for giving my dad a hug. Come on – you’re kidding me right! I am not going to pass up giving a hug to someone who I trust has been safe and risk that that might be the last hug that we give/receive. There is now a new norm to second guess whether that person you passed on the sidewalk during your neighborhood walk actually washed their hands or whether they are truly doing their best to stay at home. Alternatively, I observe a significant surge of altruism between people and groups. This is encouraging to know that in dire times we will take care of each other.
We have adjusted in many ways and sometimes I wonder what the day after tomorrow is going to look like. One of the best buzz words of our times right now is ‘disruptor’. Well, I can’t think of any better disruptor than this. What I will be curious to observe and experience is what disruptive changes will result as we ‘go back to normal’. Will there be a time that we return to what was ‘normal’ just a few weeks ago? Or, will we be baselining a new normal?
On a few occasions lately, I’ve heard that we have moved into the Age of Aquarius (I know you’re singing that song in your head now). I am unsure on the exact timing of when this has occurred, but in doing a short bit of research, I have learned that Aquarius energies help us shift and evolve structures that allow us to move into what is new and next for our evolution. We should activate and appreciate our own Aquarian nature through community, activism, a new creative project, or even honoring our weird. No matter how we catalyze and connect to Aquarius, it’s a time to come together in community while honoring our individual uniqueness. We will get through this and hopefully be stronger and maybe weirder on the other side.
