Home office? I could get used to this

The past month has been a crash course in adjustment.

You go from the daily commute to work and the pressure cooker of the office to having to do everything from home.

A friend asked me how I’m faring. I said, “I’m rolling with the punches.”

It must be harder on social animals than it is on an introvert like me. Even in the office, I was often the statue amid a vibrant lot. 

I had just moved to a quieter corner before we were asked to work from home.

My work involves editing, so silence is good for my concentration. I never wore headphones in the office because I don’t know how you can listen to music and edit at the same time. But this meant I was exposed to all the chatter.

At home, I have peace of mind. I do not have children frolicking around and shrieking their heads off. There are some in the neighbourhood, but they play in the compound, a safe distance away from my house. 

Going to work meant travelling to town first then connecting to my destination. Coming back meant waiting out the traffic in the office if I could not leave early. The final leg both ways often involved queuing at the bus stop, which could eat up time.

I cannot say I miss that experience. More so now that fares have been hiked to make up for losses due to social distancing.      

I Zoom with colleagues now and then and with family every Sunday. I exercise regularly. And I watch the news on the coronavirus every evening on YouTube.

I thought I would have time to write more but the atmosphere has not been right.

In the course of my editing, I have come across many articles talking about the impact of the pandemic on our way of life. 

One statement that lingered is from Nabila Hatimy’s ‘Surviving the indoors during corona shutdown’.

“Once the excitement of not having to go to work or school wears off,” she said, “we might find that this new world order is to live with longer than we had anticipated.” 

Edited by O. Owino