Now that we are slowly moving back to work, school and some of the normal activities of daily life, perhaps it is good to reflect on the past three months. We are all aware of the negatives of the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown in South Africa, but it hasn’t been all bad.
At home, our animals are really chuffed to have our constant company because it must have felt like they had over 60 days of weekend! Parents have been at home with their children and although it has been hard for some to figure out the logistics of working and parenting, there is no doubt that this time has been good for most families.
There has been more bonding time and more opportunity to see each other as real people away from the rush of the life we have been used to. Then there are those poor home-schooling parents racking their brains trying to remember what they learnt 20 or 30 years ago!
On the work front, virtual meetings have become the norm. Zoom, Skype, MS Teams and the like have been used daily to communicate with office colleagues and clients. It might not always have been ideal but it has been more workable than many of us believed. This has not only reduced travel and vehicle maintenance costs, but it has reduced our stress quite considerably. It has also had the unexpected benefit of assisting some of our usual ‘late comers’ to be on time!
If we are lucky, we could see the traffic on our roads reduce by at least 10% of what it was three months ago, and this difference will have huge benefits for all of us – particularly when it comes to road rage and irritation levels!
In the growing gridlock that has become our norm, it has been hard to see what relief there would be in the system. Thanks to lockdown, we might just have eased the problem. Then there is the reduction in emissions and our improved carbon footprint, which is undoubtedly making the ozone layer much happier!
Whilst the power grid has been given a ‘breather’ let us hope that this time was used for catch-up by our service providers. I have always been the eternal optimist and I hope my faith is not misplaced!
On that note, it has been great to see how internet service providers around the country stepped up to make sure that their customers remained connected, with many offering bonusses like increased line speeds for the duration of the lockdown.
“Rather than dwelling on problems, acknowledge the richness of the experience that can be gained by overcoming them”