Silver Linings of the Pandemic
The pandemic suck. I say this as a person who live in Sweden, a country that’s had no lockdowns, so I can’t imagine how difficult it must be in a country where there were restrictions that actually affected everyday life.
As with almost everything bad, it comes with some good things. Kind of like a parrot eating some seeds, it flies away and drops some seeds wrapped in guano.
No one wants to get hit by the stool bomb. But when it lands with those seeds wrapped in the package it might be the start of something great, life!
Enough talk about shit, let’s talk about the positive sides of these trying times! So in no particular order, here’s my list.
Being able to watch new movies
It’s great that movies are being streamed at the same time that they are running in the cinemas. I wonder if it’s also reduced the amount of movies being pirated. 🤔 My wife and I are able to watch a recently new movie, even though we have a child. We start watching it one evening and if it’s not too long we manage to complete it the next evening.
We would not be able to do this, if not for the pandemic, since we don’t have extended family close by that have the possibility of doing some babysitting.
My commute is almost non-existent
I’m working from the office 1-2 days a week currently, which I believe is a nice fit for everyone. I become more productive at home, but it’s very good to be at the office and talk things through in person. My commute is 30-40 minutes one way depending on if I manage to make everything click.
So working from home saves me at least 3 hours every week.
Employeer stepping up their remote game
My employeer has really stepped up their game during the pandemic. They’ve made sure that all personel have access to the equipment they need as well as investing in making the office more suited for hybrid meetings. Just last week, I was in the office for a company wide meeting. The room was crowded so it was a far better experience to leave the meeting, go to my desk and tune in to the meeting remotely than to stay in the meeting room.
More time spent with family
This one ties strongly into the reduced commuting. I really enjoy all this extra time I have on my hands with my wife and my daughter. It’s awesome to be able to be around them! I get to experience more of my daughters time awake, which means more play and to see her develop and progress. Tthat moment when you realize that you both understood what the other meant is great.
Less sickness, well..
I’m sure I would be sick less, since my hand hygiene has improved, but our daughter goes to pre-school and I’m pretty sure that place is a virus laboratory in disguise because every 2-3 weeks she’ll get sick which means it’s coming for me soon too.
I’m sure there are a lot of other positive aspects, but I’ll stop here for now.
