It is Wedgesday, and time for Fandango’s Provocative Question. I’m gonna take care to answer his question meticulously, to fulfil his FOWC prompt too! Today he asks:
What activities have you cut from your life since this pandemic started that you DON’T really miss?
Just as a general thing, I have to say I am fortunate in this pandemic. A lot of my elderly clients are fortunate. I guess a lot of you are fortunate, too. All of us, just because this isolation malarkey has not changed habits much, because we were all pretty isolated anyway!
I’m glad in some respects, because my weekly voluntary session takes place with clients over the phone, which can happen anyway. So, I spent yesterday afternoon calling my clients as normal. In fact, during the pandemic, the task takes longer than usual. Clients normally ask to be called because they feel isolated, lonely, but actually, you’d be surprised how many are normally out when I call! Last week, for the first time in my eighteen months doing the work, everybody answered. This week, all except one. The result is that the session takes longer.
On top of that, the charity have asked me to call another seven people, on top of my normal ten. I did that this morning. With my regular clients, we can chat about anything – often what the cats have been up to, or what the kids have been up to. With these new people, it was specifically corona – are you getting groceries/meds okay? While my normal calls take three or four hours, I dashed these extra ones off in under an hour.
Normally, I get the bus into Age UK’s office in Salisbury, on a Tuesday afternoon. I leave the house at just before 12pm, and get home about 5pm. Five hours. Of which three are normally spent on the phone to clients. So, that’s two hours just lost in the commute. I wouldn’t mind but when I had my car, Salisbury was just a fifteen minute drive away! The bus journey itself goes through the villages and takes 30 minutes each way, the rest of the time is spent walking between home and the bus stop, or just waiting around.
Because of the virus, we agreed I would work from home. I fire up the browser, then ten seconds later I have accessed their network and can start making calls. Then, when I am finished, it is as simply as closing the tab, maybe firing off a quick email, before I can start doing personal things once again.
So, working from home versus a two hour commute? There’s something I don’t miss.
You are doing a great job Pete. I am sure they all appreciate it. Xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
They seem to, that’s the thing that really surprised me about it at the start. Some people are really grateful, not all, but many.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s good Pete. Wish we had someone we could ring. We)re working on it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I spent about 10 minutes trying to identify something that I don’t miss and I actually can’t think of a single thing 😢 even my morning runs. Some mornings I wouldn’t be in the mood to go for a run but now I even miss that 😔. I’ll keep on thinking about it
LikeLiked by 1 person
undergrads?
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤣🤣🤣
LikeLike
The lecturer can’t admit that on a public platform 😱😳
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure they are lovely. I’m sure I was lovely when I was an undergrad 🙄 I never got, what subject(s) go you teach?
LikeLike
I think that a lot of people are happy not to be commuting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
for proper work, I like to be in the work environment. But when it is something I do on the phone anyway… The only thing is that going into Salisbury allowed me to do some small shopping too, but I have not missed that yet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you ever want to change or up your university grades contact cybergolden hacker he’ll get it done and show a proof of work done before payment. He’s efficient, reliable and affordable. He can also perform all sorts of hacks including text, whatsapp, password decrypt,hack any mobile phone, Escape Bancruptcy, Delete Criminal Records and the rest
Email: cybergoldenhacker at gmail dot com
LikeLike