Sarah - parenting, leadership and communication coach
When you first heard that NZ was moving to Alert Levels 3 & 4, what did you think? How did you feel?
A mix of emotions. A bit sick, a bit nervous, a bit exhilarated. I remember thinking ‘is this for real?’ I only started taking the pandemic seriously when I had a feeling our children shouldn’t be at school. When I heard the government announcement about moving to Levels 3 & 4, I realised that my instinct was right. At the start I was worried about our exchange student who has since returned to Germany, then as I made sense of it all, the adrenalin kicked in.
How has your job or daily routine been affected?
My coaching work involves seeing people face to face so my workload dropped to nothing very quickly. But now I’m thinking about new business opportunities with the support of my employer. I am used to working from home but this is different because I can’t venture far even if I want to.
What have been the best things/hardest things about the lockdown?
I’ve relaxed into my new world – bubble – now. It feels calm and happy. Knowing that New Zealanders are working together has been one of the best things, and seeing our PM Jacinda shine with her ‘let’s do this’ and ‘we’ve got this’ slogans. I’m enjoying the extra time with my children at home. It’s given me more walking buddies! And I’m learning about things like social media and entrepreneurship. I’m fearful of the fearful though. Fearful for our society. Needing to stay two metres away from people, sensing the fear in people at the supermarket – those things aren’t fun.
What have you missed/not missed?
Hugging people, travelling. And my children are missing school.
What have you been thinking about more/less?
I’ve been thinking more about our society and how I can help. I go from thinking about others and my own family. I’ve never thought about a pandemic before. I didn’t know about lockdowns and alert levels. Like everyone, I’ve hard to learn a whole lot of new lingo.
Have you learned any skills or formed any new habits during the lockdown?
In many ways, I’m not living that differently from normal. I would usually walk three to four times per week but I’m now prioritising a walk every day.
Can you liken this time to any other times/experiences in your life?
It’s not like anything before but having my children at home all day feels a bit like the school holidays but without any plans.
What have you appreciated/felt grateful for during the lockdown?
A comfortable home, enough food and a guaranteed income. I’m pleased that we worked hard before now about how to get on as a family. My dad and his wife live nearby and instead of seeing them weekly for dinner we connect via Zoom. Knowing the rest of my family are okay, living in Korokoro for its supportive community, walks in the bush and Petone Beach so close.
What, if anything, do you think might change in the world after Covid-19 is under control or eliminated? Any silver linings?
I think people will know their neighbours better. I hope that the lack of face-to-face interaction during lockdown won’t change the way people relate to each other in future. Despite the feeling of solidarity now, I fear that some people have learned to fear each other, like after 9/11. That event changed the way we went through security at airports forever - a foundation of trust between people was lost. I hope that businesses will be able to adapt now and do businesses differently in future; think more about what their customers need. I hope we will travel less (which would be good for climate change). I hope that working together for the better treatment of our animals, land and people will prevail.
In a word or more, how do you imagine describing this time when looking back on it in a year or so?
Gratitude for the freedom we’ll have again (in future) compared to the freedom we haven’t had during lockdown.