What a year! Especially the last several weeks.
The chapter leaders and I sincerely hope that you and your families are safe and doing well during this COVID-19 outbreak. Our hearts go out to all who have been affected by this crisis.
What are you doing to keep sane? Are you working from home? How was that transition? For me, the first week or two was an adjustment. I found that this is a great time to be a documentation person. All of a sudden, I had offers from dozens of field service engineers, who’ve found themselves not able to work in customer plants, to help write or translate documents that we didn’t have. And now, SMEs seem to have more time to answer questions.
My first two weeks, I found, were packed with online meetings, myriad email requests, and tons of interruptions. I found it more difficult to break for lunch or coffee, or leave the ‘office’ on time. I found myself busier than ever. That was good, because it made the work days go quickly.
My third week, things settled down a little, and I was able to concentrate a little better. I’m still waiting to find all that ‘down time’ people are talking about, though! I still have hours of videos to edit from recent vacations, and thousands of photos to organize. It’s good. I’m keeping busy.
To keep sane and positive, I keep up my practice of gratitude every day. I’m grateful that my cat spends time with me in my home studio every day. I’m grateful that I am still working, and that I am able to work from home, doing work that I enjoy.
I feel fortunate to have dozens of walk-at-home videos and DVDs in my collection. Staying home to work out is nothing new! After sitting in this chair all day, my legs feel tired and sore, so now I’m even more motivated to get up and walk.
For those of us who are introverts, I would venture to say that this stay-at-home order is right up our alleys. It is for me. I’m grateful to not have to go to multiple events and meetings every week. It’s great to have a valid excuse to stay home! At least for a few weeks.
What’s happening with Ohio Chapter events?
We are holding virtual meetups now. Our first one was fun, and the conversation simply flowed organically. We don’t have to talk business. It’s important for all of us to keep our professional connections, to know that we are experiencing similar challenges, and to share our concerns with like-minded colleagues. Be sure to join us for the next one.
We hope to re-schedule our Cybersecurity lab tour at the University of Akron in the fall, after the new school year resumes.
In the meantime, we’ll plan online events, and hopefully social gatherings this summer.
Till then, keep safe, keep sane, and keep washing your hands!