A Different Kind of Summer
There’s no doubt that we have all been adapting over the past weeks.
It hasn’t been easy, but it seems we are all – or at least most of us – doing our best to keep this pandemic at bay.
And that means a very different kind of summer for a lot of people.
As I write this, the harsh lockdowns that defined the spring of 2020 are easing across the world, but the pandemic is still out there and everyone is alert to the possibility of a second wave. Restrictions placed on the way we live our lives remain. This means different things in different countries, even in different parts of the same country as communities try to contain local outbreaks.
The result for us as individuals and families is that we have to really think carefully about our next steps for keeping going and enjoying our time together safely. There are so many extra logistics to think about, just to do ordinary, everyday things.
Personally, our family have decided on a staycation. Which in fact will probably be a homecation, because our youngest son is still under shielding restrictions and so there are many things we cannot do and places we cannot go (deep sigh).
Finding the Positives
I have to be honest though. In some ways, our homecation will be a good thing. We know we are lowering the risk of having (and spreading) the virus. We are definitely saving a lot of money (and this can be put aside for our next holiday to my home country which is always a mammoth event on all fronts, including financial).
The third good thing about staying at home is that it has given me the extra time to focus on the launch of a new online course, without finding that I’m stressing over it at the last minute. I am totally free to balance my work and family time. This is a total change from our usual family holidays. For me holidays are the time when I don’t work. Well, I still have to cook and care for our youngest son, but our family holiday is my time to unwind and enjoy other places, food and sun (which is my one, immovable condition for a holiday – somewhere I can have at least five, uninterrupted days of sun and some heat).
What opportunities will you find?
Whatever you decide to do for your summer this year, take full advantage of the opportunity to think deeply, perhaps in a different way, and be a bit more organised and a little better prepared. We can all look at this situation as an opportunity to do something different, spending less cash and doing more with our families. Perhaps it’s the opportunity to focus on doing all those things that have been waiting around on our to do lists. Maybe it’s your opportunity to relax more, or to move your business forward, maybe even build a new one.
I’d be interested to hear how you see this time. Is it a nuisance, or an opportunity?
Personally I see it as a big opportunity.
You can let me know in my Facebook Group where you can find support and ideas on hot to have a more balanced life! or you can send me a note.