On Thursday, March 12th the day started normally with a couple of client conversations prior to attending the General Meeting for HR Houston, then over to a client for an update meeting on progress for a recruiting assignment. My wife told me that afternoon that her school was closing a day early for Spring Break and the teachers would be meeting to prepare a remote learning plan for the week following Spring Break when the school would be closed. The AACC Sundowner was a smaller than usual crowd that evening.
Friday the 13th was off to a quiet start when the GHP had its first live stream event instead of the usual morning breakfast meeting; the topic was “Exclusive on Coronavirus Preparedness”. A drive up to The Woodlands for a lunch meeting followed.
The weekend was relatively normal with trips to the grocery store, work in the garden and a dinner at a favorite restaurant. News was coming in on a small number of cases of the virus in the Greater Houston area. As two of our staff were travelling, it was decided that we would take the precaution of those two working from home in observance of a 14-day quarantine and so we were all planning to work from home as a result.
As I sit here just over a week later, we are potentially planning for at least a 30-day work from home. The past week has been surreal. As an extrovert, it is very difficult to live without the normal interactions with colleagues, clients and those who attend the many networking events around town. We take so much for granted day to day and it is in times like these that we all take a step back and cherish the family and friends around us.
This past weekend, I had a long conversation with my sister who was heading home to Brisbane from Vancouver today. I talked to my Aunt in Sydney because she lives on her own and is even more isolated as a result. She is an extrovert as well.
It has been an opportunity to contemplate a kinder human condition. As the news media is continuously focusing on how bad it can become, I have noticed that there are people out there focusing on the positive aspects. I have actually reposted some positive perspectives only to see others comment with a “that is to good to be true” mode.
I’m an optimist and I know we will get through this and will be stronger as a result. We will all need to keep our distance from each other. If you are feeling the isolation, just give me a call; I’ll be happy to talk.
– Greg Foley, The FerVID Group ®