I was numb once the 3 weeks (we were told it would originally be) of lock down came to an end and we were still ‘locked down’. It didn’t take long to realise life for an unknown period of time would not be the same again, and actually would it ever be the same again?
We watch movies with story lines like this, we are entertained by films that give graphic details of horrific natural disasters and disease covered nations, spreading mercilessly across countries and often the whole world, but Never did we expect something that only happens in films to actually happen for real - where we find ourselves cocooned, often isolated, imprisoned for our own good and controlled for so long. Never did we expect to see livelihoods vanish before our eyes. That hopeless feeling of not being in control of any of it and realising that little by little we were being controlled in all of it. Causing peoples mental states to be stretched to the limits, relationships to be challenged and rocked, businesses to crumble, to be lost as if never there and a nation of people to be riddled with fear.
But with it came good things too, gratitude grew in the hearts of many, communication between groups of people grew across the globe and it awakened many from monotony and mediocracy.
I was grateful for the time during the first lockdown, where I was able to re-evaluate my priorities and really rest. Get off the roundabout and spend quality time with my children. I was able to look at my purpose and my passion within my purpose. With Serviced Accommodation as a major part of my portfolio I needed to wake up and smell the coffee, look at my safety nets and exit strategies …….however ….these times were far from normal, they were unprecedented times where even exit strategies in the given situation seemed not to suffice.
One thing we all had, was a lot of time, and I knew that I had to devise and quickly something that would create income where income streams had stopped. Many years ago in Thailand in a place called Sivilai I had had a seed planted in me as I sat at a conference in a hut and listened to a language I couldn’t understand. The seed was to speak, to teach, to help, to encourage, to edify, to love. So in June 2020 I wrote 2 new programs, 1 virtual and 1 not. This caused me to be significantly stretched out of my comfort zone and gave me knew strings to my bow. I choose also to do something I’d wanted to do for many years – I started learning to fly, to be above the clouds in a world that was my escape. This stretched me to my limits, using my brain, concentration, feet, hands, senses, and much more. It helped me to reconnect with my inner self, to learn the art of letting go but not allowing bitterness of frustration to attach itself.
This last 18 months have seen so much sadness and grief, confusion and fear, but I have felt blessed overall to have had the opportunity to re-evaluate and recreate from my thoughts to my actions, from my property courses to my flying. It has been a massive time of growth, of humility and compassion. A new era, a new season is beginning, new growth and new life, and as I’ve been part of these last 18 months, I now look forward to all that life brings moving forward.
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