Why we can always choose what to remember.
I finally had my first business lunch in a restaurant the other week. It was a lovely day, we had a great table, and the food was very good. Seeing someone other than my wife or kids after more than four months of home confinement was simply invigorating. We chatted endlessly about all the things that were happening and how it impacted our daily lives. The words Groundhog Day came up more than once.
Our conversation covered the economy, global trade, geo-politics and of course the continued spread of the virus. Luckily, we agreed that however sound and constructive our discussions as regards these topics may be, we will not know any more or less thereafter. This saved a lot of time and after a few exchanges about how crazy things are at the moment, we quickly turned to more pertinent issues at hand and life at home.
We have been spending a lot of time in a single place with the same people and characters. By mere virtue of running into each other at any time of the day, made the whole experience even more surreal than not being able to leave the house. Of course, things have improved now, at least in the UK, but we don’t know for how long. Which means, that the close knitted family unit that made it through the previous three to four months together, might again become our area of focus.
I won’t bore you with the intricate details of our personal routines, why the kids can be unreasonable, or the adults feel overwhelmed. The point is, in the time of the greatest uncertainty that we have ever experienced, our priorities have changed. Life seems to be more about the moment now, and making it through this, whatever it is, and with those that are close to us. In every way, it is a crisis of such monumental scale, with experiences so intense, and with consequences that are so large, that it will be forever instilled in our minds. So, think about what it is that you are you going to remember in years to come of your time during the Coronavirus, and make sure it’s the right things.