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| Gather round me hearties! |
In December, as the fires approached and posed a definite threat to our village, we used the time after dinner to have a number of family meetings. We normally use this dinner and after dinner time for often wide-ranging discussions of everything from what we did that day to favourite movies or foods or anything.
In our crisis family meeting we have a more serious topic to discuss. In the case of the imminent fires we went through what was happening, what the threats were, our plans for defending the home and shop, what we would do if things didn't go according to plan and so on. As all the family was involved and they all were able to add in their comments and questions we were able to develop a good plan with multiple contingencies. As events turned out that worked very well, as we went from Plan A to Plan B and Plan C and evacuation very quickly. There was no confusion as we had already mapped out what we would do and followed the plan as we reacted to the changing conditions.
We are doing the same with the Corona Virus and economic restrictions that are designed to reduce the spread of infection.
In this case we had to cover quite a wide range of information, firstly about what the virus is and how it spreads and then the economic impact.
Corona Virus (COVID-19, also know as the 'Rona)
This is like the flu and spreads in a similar manner but has potentially deadly results, especially for people with pre-existing conditions. The sanitation and social distancing rules will help with any flu and should help to reduce transmission. One of the biggest problems that is being observed overseas is that up to half of those with the virus show no symptoms (asymptomatic) and we are only testing those that show symptoms. It is early days yet and no-one knows the full extent of infection, illness, death and recovery rates or anything as all the numbers are incomplete or polluted or made up (in some countries). All we know is that this can be deadly, especially for older people and those with other conditions, and is virulent. So we do our bit to keep everything and everyone as clean as possible and reduce places and means of transmission.Economic and family impact from the Restrictions
The more immediate impact for us is the change in the economy. A great number of people are now unemployed. Most businesses are at risk of closing and many will never return after the end of the restrictions. My consulting business income is down 75% and the store is down 20% so far. As a family this means changes and we have discussed the impact. Our expenses are also down and our home running costs are very reasonable.There are no more family outings which makes the loss of the family van less of an impact.
Luckily we are in Wingello, which makes staying at home much less of a drama than it is in places with a higher density of people. We can go for walks, do gardening and have space to do so much more. The store is a safe place to visit with our various measures in place and with delivery no-one here needs to be isolated.
Re-connect your family
In past times (i.e. 3 weeks ago) life was much busier and everyone in the household was going here and there and doing this and that. If you added up the actual time the whole family was in the house at the same time and not forced to do something else like homework or other work, it wasn't a lot of contact time. Now is the time to re-connect and get to know each other better. We are finding dinner time discussions - whether on more serious topics or just the normal wide ranging discussions - are an excellent way for the whole family to connect. The younger children listen in and often pop in a question or comment which adds to the conversation. Sometimes the comment is silly, but still funny and adds to the enjoyment of family time.So, don't waste this time. If we are forced to slow down, take advantage of the opportunity and do what you have always been meaning to do.
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