Hello again! Have you been well? I hope you are keeping safe and healthy amidst all the sickness and insanity going on in the world.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we recently moved to Wellington for work, and our timing was extremely lucky because the day we left Auckland it was announced that New Zealand would go into Level 4 lockdown two days later. Our things were still in transit, we needed a bunch of stuff before all the shops closed, and most of all we were meant to start work the week after. We were panicked about all the sudden uncertainty after just having packed up our entire lives and spending a lot of money.
Our things arrived in the nick of time, and we managed to get all the essentials we were missing. Work was now the main issue (for me, anyway), we knew our start dates would be affected but we were more worried about completely losing our jobs before even starting them! Thankfully I had worked for this company before, and therefore didn’t need to go through the initial induction and training process. I am now working comfortably from home, where I can snuggle my cat and sit in the sun during break time, while my partner takes a very welcome holiday from work. Things worked out so well that I am still a little uneasy at how perfect it turned out! Alas, we need to remind ourselves that panicking over things beyond our control is unhealthy and a waste of energy…
I think I was made for isolated life. I love the freedom from social anxiety, being able to do my work without my subconscious continually worrying about the people around me. There is beauty and freedom in this solitude, I don’t understand how there are so many people protesting it. I love waking up in the morning and, weather permitting, sitting in the sun in the back yard while my cat rolls around on the concrete. I light some candles on my desk while I work and feel so cozy in my little bubble. I spend lunch breaks gardening or taking videos and photographs of the bug life outside while listening to all the birds chatting in the trees. We eat healthier, my sleep schedule is the healthiest it’s been in years, and my mental health the clearest it’s been in years. In fact, I dare say I fear going back to ‘normal’ and returning to a dark office for ten to twelve hours a day where I can’t be with my loved ones or enjoy seeing butterflies and bumblebees whizzing around the garden.
I’ve been trying to take a moment everyday to appreciate things. The sunlight, the heater when the days are getting colder, the bustling bird life, the peace in my neighborhood, the neighbors’ beautiful golden retriever when he pops his little head over the fence to say hello, how well our government has handled the COVID-19 situation, I have a stable income when so many others are facing hardship… Things can always be worse. Why not make your life a bit simpler by changing your mindset to focus on more positive things? I am a pretty melancholic person by nature, so that’s what I am trying to do, anyway.
I can’t help but feel like this pandemic will change what we think of as ‘normal’. It has been equal parts tragic and eye-opening. I’m staying hopeful that people will learn to appreciate things like spending time with family and loved ones, and the importance of knowing how to be alone. Ideally, and perhaps more than anything, I hope people will come out of it having learned more about self-sufficiency and being more connected to the world around them.
How has this pandemic affected you? I hope for you to remain healthy, calm and happy – and to look forward to the potential positive changes to come!
Thank you for reading! Be kind, be mindful, and be safe.
Love,
Madi
xxx
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