We are currently living in a strange new world. Nothing is as it was before. It’s natural to focus solely on the present, scrolling endlessly through the latest updates on the news. The situation is made worse by the fact that we can’t go and see our friends or family, our go-to when times are scary. It’s frightening to see the empty shelves, empty streets; like a nightmare, except we’re not waking up. We just want a hug, but we’re no longer allowed.
It’s helpful to try and avoid feeling overwhelmed and letting fear take over by focusing on the future: remember this too shall pass. Yes, it will be a different world and, yes, recovery will take time, but hopefully, we will all be kinder and more grateful and able to appreciate what we have. I doubt we will ever again take for granted the simple act of dining with our friends and family; greeting the people we love with a hug; a simple hand-shake; full grocery shelves and, who knew…toilet paper!
Given that we are all going to be spending large amounts of time at home, let’s try and use this time to be productive. I’m working on getting our veggie patch up and running with the help of my daughter and husband, and planning on getting some things done that I’ve been meaning to do for ages, like learning how to do podcasts and webinars. Sonya is going back through our course and updating the lesson content to keep it fresh and vibrant. This new world of being at home and working from home is one we are familiar with as transcribers. We have conquered the barriers of isolation and loneliness and have mastered online connectivity. The hurdle we now face is not to be distracted by the voices of our happy children, who can’t believe their luck! If you want to see somebody embracing the silver-lining of this strange new world, look towards these little humans: school’s out for the foreseeable future? Jackpot!
There is no need feel isolated during this crisis. Join forums, learn new things, reach out and stay connected. Remember how many times you thought to yourself, “I wish I had time to…”? You’ve been given that gift. The chance to focus on yourself, the opportunity to do all sort of things you wished you had time for. While you have this time, use it wisely. Got your kids and partner under the same roof as you? Slow down, be present with them. Do a jigsaw puzzle, play music, talk, and listen and share.
Let’s aim to come out of the other side of this having learned something, whether it be a new language, or a craft, or the skills to set you up to continue working from home so you never rely solely on one source of income again.
It may change as we move further into this, but so far, our team is as busy as ever. As more companies move their workforce from the office floor to the home office, we are seeing a shift from face-to-face interviews and meetings to telephone, Skype and Zoom interactions, all of which still need to be transcribed. And team members who have worked for us in the past who had gone on to other endeavours, are now working with us again, falling back on their transcription skills, able to keep themselves employed, and busy. Take my daughter, she is now a research scientist, but when her lab closed, she was able to come back to transcription. Café owners, retail workers, theatre workers, anyone can learn how to do what we do. Having another string to your bow is key to self-sufficiency and self-reliance.
So concentrate on the silver lining, treasure those in your household even more than you did before. Check the news once a day, then leave it. Look at the sky, breathe. Send compassion out to all those who are in need of it. Stay safe. Focus on the future. Come check us out at
