The C word
The fourth week in a row that we are in the midst of the corona crisis. We all know what disaster we are dealing with, and when the disease begins to take on a face through family or acquaintances who are affected only then does it really dawn on us what is going on.
Fortunately ( I knock it off) no one in our circle has yet become infected with Corona. The images on TV and in the newspapers say enough. You can’t turn on the TV or it’s about the same thing… Totally shocked was after Jessica Vilerius’ documentary, Life Air. ( viewing tip!) My youngest child said, mommy I can’t hear the C word anymore. And I get it.
I understand him so well, you would still want to wake up tomorrow morning and realize, it was a dream … a very horrible nightmare, but thankfully it was just a dream.
The third week in isolation
And the bad dream continues with us too, with tears running down my cheeks I have had to tell my staff that there is no longer enough work for some of them. That there is now too little turnover to bear the staff costs. Staff who, conversely, are always there for you. And I can’t do that for them now, and that hurts. Very painful. The daycare center is closed, I miss the girls we used to take care of here. The cozy evenings where we give workshops. Everything has been put on hold. The income that suddenly comes to a halt is not calculated and from one day to the next you have to juggle.
The crazy thing is that every situation at some point becomes sort of ordinary again. Now that we’re in the third week of isolation, you notice that you get into your routine again. We are extra sweet to each other at home, we cook and eat healthy food, we tinker in the garden in the evenings. We facetime with family and friends. But not being able to see each other, not being able to give each other a hug or have a drink together hurts too. Not being able to visit your parents or grandparents, a pain we all feel.
And then when I lie in bed at night, the grinding begins … what can we come up with to still generate sales? Are the schemes already open to entrepreneurs? How long will this take and what will the economy look like when this is over? Are we going to make it at all? Plenty of questions to lie awake over.
With the whole team, we are working hard!
How glad I am that I can still do my work in the fabryk during the day, keep routine and stay in rhythm. As a team, we put our heads together and we are pounding one product after another onto the web. Normally there is no time for this because it is too busy with orders. “We don’t whine and clap on top of it.” You might say that we are busier than ever in changing course. A necessary course, that is, because there is no other option. It is not in our nature to sit by, of course we voice our concerns but not long after that we throw in another foul joke. It is humor and our positive mindset that keeps us going.
We turn up the radio a notch and sit just a little further apart. The orders are packed with great care and love, the team and certainly our students put in 150% effort. No matter if it’s at night or on the weekend, everyone is there for each other! And those are also the beautiful things in this terrible time.
X Esther
