I don't know what day it is in regard to being quarantined, as this is Finland and it is far more suggestion than order - but this week Covid-19 is meant to be expanding into my region more heavily.
Still, things have changed markedly.
Prior to the run on the shops, I saw what was happening in Australia and made sure that we were stocked with some essentials, as my daughter has strict dietary needs and some things can be hard to source at the best of times. We also had to stock a more of her medication. Yet in general, we have been okay and the shops have been well enough stocked with other items.
My daughter and I are in risk groups, but due to her age, she should be fine. For me, I have treatment for a stomach issue and the medication lowers my immune system heavily as well as having asthma, so I am not sure how I will react when I get it - and I assume that I will get it eventually, if I haven't already, as will most of us in the world.
Our daughter is home from daycare and my wife and I are both working remotely. With a three year old, this is a challenge due to the kind of work we do in meetings and on phones, but we are coping well enough, albeit having to do longer days to maintain the same level of capacity. However like many, a lot of the concern is around financial issues and we have a bit of a perfect storm of factors that are affecting us.
I run a small business consultancy
My work deliveries here are down about 80% and this is normally around 50% of my monthly income, which means I am getting around 40% less all up, and it is only the first weeks.We bought a house one month ago
Still yet to move in, the property values have slid and due to the stipulations on the renovation loan, we have to increase the value a lot higher, yet we are already unable to get some materials and fittings without having to pay extreme prices. Our budget is not going to stretch nearly as far as we had hoped. Workers are also hard to get a hold of, as they have families also.Possible temporary layoffs
I took a second job a year ago in order to create some stability in this kind of situation, yet again, this is quite extreme and I am facing potential temporary layoffs. While temporary, with the loss of other income this would mean that I could end up at 10% of what I was getting and while there is support for workers, I am likely illegible as I have my business. There is some uncertainty in this though and I have some insurance around this, but it doesn't cover much.We are trying to move house
We are surrounded by boxes and makeshift work tables and trying to transport all we can, while we can. It is likely we aren't going to get much help in the shift, so we have to make sure that there is as much pre-work done as possible, which is hard since we are working even longer hours and have our daughter with us all of the time.
The "saving grace" is that at least for now, my wife's position is secure, as she is in a department that has to respond to these events at her work. For me, I am still able to deliver billable work, so I am hoping that I won't be laid-off from the second job. I have been able to shift some of my business sessions to remote contact, but it is nowhere near enough to make a dent in the shortfall.
As said, we aren't yet in a position that we are completely housebound, yet we are severely restricting our movements to only the most necessary meetings - and then, social distancing while we are with others. This is easier in Finland, as social distance is cultural and most couples don't even hold hands.
We would normally rely more heavily on the grandparents, but due to their age, they are locked up in the house and I am doing the shopping for them when they need. This has been hard on our daughter as she normally gets to see them a couple times a week and loves spending time there. Because we have to work at the same time as look after her, she gets upset that she has no one to play with.
We have for the first time in her life, introduced some screen time occasionally, which pains me - the change in her behavior at these times is stark. She goes from being a lively, sing and dancing delight (mostly) to a zombie. I know that some people think that it is necessary, but I don't really see the benefit other than giving us time to work. We have only done this due to the exceptional conditions and I am looking forward to not having to do it again.
My wife's is a nurse and her brother-in-law a doctor, which means that they have to be working with Corona patients daily. Her best friend is also a nurse and will start visiting pregnant patients at their homes. This concerns my wife quite a lot as they both have families, but they also have a job to do. It is a funny conflict, because people would normally say nonsense like, "Family before the job" and be critical of those who put job first, until those people are healthcare professionals and people are ill.
For the first time in quite a while, I feel the stress of events getting to me, which I put down mostly to the financial concerns and all of the moving parts to try and mitigate the damage this is doing to our future position. Feeling stressed doesn't mean that anything changes though, I still do what I have to do and take the stance that at some point, I will have the opportunity to do other things.
At the start of the year I felt that my family had finally turned a financial corner and were heading on to better things, after spending the last nearly four year battling very hard through health issues that crushed our life into a tiny ball. Yet, here we are, back at square one.
In the @theycallmedan initiative there was a question:
Have you used this time to strengthen bonds with loved ones, do you feel you'll come out of this a better person?
Yes and no. I think that the last years have made us pretty resilient to a lot of the affects of this emotionally and psychologically, as we have learned how to cope under pressure. We will be better people for having gone through it by recognizing and being grateful for having gone through what I would consider so far, much worse in recent times.
Pain is the best teacher, but one doesn't have to suffer through it - feeling stress doesn't mean one can't cope - it is just an indicator to be cautious, be aware, pay attention to what is required and let go of what is not. I know a lot of people who are incapacitated as they focus on all of the risks of Covid-19 without realizing that the biggest risk to their health is going to be post-flu, from neglecting to take care of all of the aspects of life that support the future.
People get so caught up in the events of today that they forget when the world of tomorrow is created. It doesn't matter if it is Covid-19, an election, a star scandal or the Superbowl - many put their life on hold continually while those who are looking to build, work toward their end goals.
The thing is, it really is an attention economy and if we spend all of our attention on the dramas of the world, we have none to spare to improve ourselves and make the preparations for the future we want. I understand that it is hard to maintain focus when there is so much uncertainty in the world, but if one is really looking out for family, friends and the future - it is necessary to at least try to keep balanced, stay strong and keep moving forward - even if only an inch at a time.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
This post was prompted by the @theycallmedan inititiative that can be found here. I will also be pushing it out to Twitter.
You're the backbone of a great family. I admire your wife's willingness and social service. I have a sister who is a nurse and her health is compromising; yet she is following a strict service schedule because she is not allowed medical rest to improve her health. She tells me about unpleasant episodes where she has to witness the dismissal of souls because of the COVID-19, she works in Ecuador.
I live in Spain, you must be aware of the alarming statistical status it has in Europe. In my moments of meditation I dedicate much to expressing gratitude for finding myself healthy, protected and with absolute peace, I send love and blessings to my loved ones and every living being that populates the Earth; I demand that the abnormal appearance of viruses fade away and that the light prevails, because at the end of the day we are all light, harmony, peace and love. Those natural attributes we have always had and at some point we will remember, either during this life experience or in the following ones.
The mind can deceive us and be as insidious as any other harmful element, you are a reasonable person and surely you have heard that words generate feelings and feelings are positive or negative energy that we issue, that causes magnetic effects and we attract things according to what we say or we are thinking. Although it is difficult to understand for various reasons, including belief systems, try to orient these statements toward the positive pole, avoid talking in a way that seems like you are waiting for something unwanted to happen to you and your loved ones. Words have extraordinary power, and if they are aligned with thoughts they form a high or low density vibratory frequency, check your affirmations:
I wish you much light, health and peace. Happy day
I think my wife is the backbone, my daughter the soul - I might be the feet :D
When it comes to words, words are just words - it depends on the meaning we apply to them at a personal level and the reaction we have to them when listening. As I see it, the positive and negative weighting is due to attachments we create and then identify with - "mother" to one is a lovely word, to another a knife in the back.
Your argumentative reasoning is logical and very understandable; each person according to their training will have a particular position according to the situations. There are no badly used words, but the speaker sometimes interprets them in a different way from the one expressed by the sender. In conclusion, you are right... It all depends on the meaning that each person culturally gives to the words and situations.
I try not to intentionally offend people through my words, but at the end of the day, our feelings are our own.
When you have money it is self isolai, when you don't have money it is quarantine. Lol. Am just joking.
At least this quarantine period will allow people to spend time with their family than they used to be or compared to before when many don't have time for family due to work there work here
I think rich people isolate themselves at the best of times, this is par for the course.
sure you are right
Yes, its really hard on 2-3 year olds. They know something is wrong but they are too young to understand.
My almost 3 year old is missing her friends from day care and has asked:"Mummy, where airplanes gone?" as the skies are distinctly quiet these days.
Mine is 3.5 and is okay with it, but missing friends and grandparents a lot. It is heartbreaking to have to work at the same time as she is saying she just wants someone to play with. We are taking breaks throughout the day (taking turns) to spend time with her and do some activities - and then after work - heading out to do something together in the park.
I think I told you this before and I'm gonna tell you this one more time.
Just buy her a good Chinese Tangram posh edition with a very fat booklet with thousand interesting shapes & silhouettes and I promise you won't hear her demanding anything again for a good while.
Sheesh! she can even shush you if you dare to interrupt her concentration & inspiration when you call her to sit on the table to eat. :)
The world before and after the coronavirus will be completely different. The coroner made all people wonder about the value of life. I want to ho that after such reflections, the world is changing for the better.
I hope it is changing for the better also, but that requires us paying more attention to the community, and less to the news.
I get what you are saying but I tend to disagree to a certain extent. This Event is unlike anything we have seen in modern times. Thus preserving Life is paramount!! Above anything else. Economies and financials can be rebuilt , human beings cannot
Yes, the reaction is unlike anything we have ever seen.
This time things really did happen in a mega cluster. I hope you all stay healthy and wishing you all the luck with the renovation.
It is going to be some interesting months ahead, but I think we will end up pulling it off - or killing each other - either/or
Hope you are well. I haven't been into the city for a long time, is it a ghost town?
I think you will adapt. I know you will adapt. People do have to develop new routines and I think your family will be excellent in that. Adapting. :)
I'm well, can't remember when I last had a proper flu, more than one to three days runny nose or any bad influence symptoms. I hope this time too, when I get this one, It'll be the same, not that bad symptoms. But I guess we'll see that some day perhaps.
I've had to work more than before to get the same pay as before from one of my employers. But I guess that's the case for most who have had to switch to virtually being present for people. Then again as some of the work hours I normally do has stopped completely, I've had just enough time to do that extra work for that one employer.
The city center hasn't been a total ghost town, only much quieter, until last Friday when most of the restaurants and cafeterias were closed. There are still people walking vigorously to somewhere and waiting for buses, but it's more like midsummer before 2010 here, only thing to do is to walk, walk and walk. Except all the grocery shops are open. I guess Koskikeskus and Ratina shopping centers too. Haven't been in Ratina since Friday when I had to shop for raw meat balls for my cats. :D All hell would break loose if I didn't have those deep freezed meatballs and saithe for them.
I am guessing that it depends on some kind of genetic complication as to the severity, or general bad condition - which isn't your worry.
The extra work for the same (or less) is a challenge, but hopefully doing it now will mean less damage incurred later.
:D We had to shop for Viski (our dog) too, as with his old teeth he can only eat the small pellet things and they sell out. Of course, he wouldn't mind living off ham either though - if he had to.
Oh I don't know. It's a bit of a lottery. And I have asthma too. But I'm not a worrier. I'm more of a don't-know-what's-going-on-I'm-just-playing-with-paperclips -type.
The good thing in this situation is that I've become at least 500% more active on my company social pages and talking with my customers by other means than face to face. I don't know if I'm able to maintain that after thing go back to normal, what ever that is, but nevertheless, have been more active on some areas.
Oh, pets. Darling pets. :) I've heard that dogs can also eat cat food pellets. They don't get ill of those like cats would if they eat dog food. I think our other cat would also be happy to eat shrimp and drink only cream, if everything else would run out. So she would come out of the quarantine weighing 5 times more than she weighs now.
Now would be an excellent time for shops to sell seasonal products. Like freezed Christmas ham. Just thinking about Viski. :D
That's all that AI in the thought experiment was doing also....
I think the forced remote has ignited a new drive to create relationships with customers in a more concrete way, which is a good move for businesses.
Viski would eat just about anything, but he definitely has a ham tooth! :D
Nääh. Everything will be fine, just as long as you won't switch me off. Otherwise, you better get used to the idea of being a paperclip.
How is Viski handling this, you being home all day? Any sprain in tail? I hear that can happen if the dog is too happy when everyone is at home all the time.
Oh shit, I just realized that justinsun is a paperclip AI!
Out to Twitter, so please share if you care
Wishing you and your family all the best!
This thing's wreaking some havoc all over innit x_x
Hope you're able to move and all and are able to keep jobs and things. And/or the cryptos skyrocket or something equally useful. And that you don't get it or don't get it bad if you do get it (enough to build up immunity for the next time round).
Moving forward an inch is better than not moving forward at all :D
I'm going to have to look up how big an inch is again