I rang Naomi and let her know what we had been up to. I wanted to know her thoughts on this project and if they would like to be a part of it. Naomi and her family are great friends of ours. I’ve known Naomi for over 20 years. I was there when she met Scott, funnily enough we both met our husbands at the good old Glad.
It is possible that Naomi didn’t really know what I was asking of her and the family. I am not the best at explaining and I wasn’t 100% sure at the time what I was going to do with the final result, and I kind of still don’t. All I knew was that I needed to document this time. Lucky for me, because it was me, she was happy to be a part of the project.
How would you describe what is happening right now with COVID19?
Surreal! There is no way we could have been prepared for the changes that this brought on and so suddenly.
How has this affected your family?
Not being able to see Mama and Papa or give them a hug just doesn’t feel right – I know Mum is feeling the isolation strongly. And not being able to see my sister & her kids during the school holidays when we would normally catch up is not good. Our little family unit of the 4 of us is much the same – if anything we are taking care to do more ‘fun’ stuff together.
What is one thing that has surprised you about this event? Positively or negatively?
Positive – we came up with a list of things that we wanted to do around the house if there was lock down – even though that hasn’t happened and we are both still working, the mentality of wanting to get it done means that we’ve been working through that together and the place is looking better than ever.
Negative – I have an odd sense of guilt at still working – and still going in to the office. (I just need to mention here that Naomi has a Human Resources business called Focus HR and they were super busy helping businesses navigate through this time) My business needs me, the clients need help, and so I keep going. We also need to survive as a business so we can keep employing people. It doesn’t stop the sense of guilt on why I’m not just being a hermit at home.
What is one thing you will always remember about this time?
I’m not sure yet to be honest! People going stupid over toilet paper!?!
What do you think is really important right now?
Staying calm – humans can be so stupid and rash when they get fearful and we’ve seen that with the bulk buying of groceries etc.
What have you done to stay in touch with others?
Phone calls, zoom – in particular trying to touch base with my business owner friends as I feel they need the moral support more than ever.
What is one thing that you miss right now?
Friday afternoon drinks with the team and being able to catch up with Sally & Anna – man that first drink together is going to be a good one! (Sure is and I can’t wait)
What have you been doing to keep yourself and your family busy?
As above – huge list of stuff to work on around the house – tearing down fences, mulching trees, cutting out the trees that died in the drought, pruning, re-sealing the deck, cleaning the kids clothing out, cleaning out the laundry cupboard, laying road base on the track – you name it, we’ve done it😊
Does COVID-19 scare you?
No
What is one good thing that you hope will happen after this is all over?
People valuing the ability to connect face to face again (we all use technology so much but hopefully now that we are being forced to do so, it will make us appreciate the real connections more)
