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I don't know what day it is in regard to being quarantined, as this is Finland and it is far more suggestion than order - but this week Covid-19 is meant to be expanding into my region more heavily.

>Still, things have changed markedly. 

Prior to the *run on the shops,* I saw what was happening in Australia and made sure that we were stocked with some essentials, as my daughter has strict dietary needs and some things can be hard to source at the best of times. We also had to stock a more of her medication. Yet in general, we have been okay and the shops have been well enough stocked with other items.

![IMG_20200401_093250.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/UVROa6IB-IMG_20200401_093250.jpg)

My daughter and I are in risk groups, but due to her age, she should be fine. For me, I have treatment for a stomach issue and the medication lowers my immune system heavily as well as having asthma, so I am not sure how I will react when I get it - and I assume that I will get it eventually, if I haven't already, as will most of us in the world. 

Our daughter is home from daycare and my wife and I are both working remotely. With a three year old, this is a challenge due to the kind of work we do in meetings and on phones, but we are coping well enough, albeit having to do longer days to maintain the same level of capacity. However like many, a lot of the concern is around financial issues and we have a bit of a perfect storm of factors that are affecting us. 

- *I run a small business consultancy*
My work deliveries here are down about 80% and this is normally around 50% of my monthly income, which means I am getting around 40% less all up, and it is only the first weeks.

- *We bought a house one month ago*
Still yet to move in, the property values have slid and due to the stipulations on the renovation loan, we have to increase the value a lot higher, yet we are already unable to get some materials and fittings without having to pay extreme prices. Our budget is not going to stretch nearly as far as we had hoped. Workers are also hard to get a hold of, as they have families also. 

- *Possible temporary layoffs*
I took a second job a year ago in order to create some stability in this kind of situation, yet again, this is quite extreme and I am facing potential temporary layoffs. While temporary, with the loss of other income this would mean that I could end up at 10% of what I was getting and while there is support for workers, I am likely illegible as I have my business. There is some uncertainty in this though and I have some insurance around this, but it doesn't cover much.

- *We are trying to move house*
We are surrounded by boxes and makeshift work tables and trying to transport all we can, while we can. It is likely we aren't going to get much help in the shift, so we have to make sure that there is as much pre-work done as possible, which is hard since we are working even longer hours and have our daughter with us all of the time.

The "saving grace" is that at least for now, my wife's position is secure, as she is in a department that has to respond to these events at her work. For me, I am still able to deliver billable work, so I am hoping that I won't be laid-off from the second job. I have been able to shift some of my business sessions to remote contact, but it is nowhere near enough to make a dent in the shortfall.

As said, we aren't yet in a position that we are completely housebound, yet we are severely restricting our movements to only the most necessary meetings - and then, *social distancing* while we are with others. This is easier in Finland, as social distance is cultural and most couples don't even hold hands.

![IMG_20200329_173535.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/FsjipRn6-IMG_20200329_173535.jpg)

We would normally rely more heavily on the grandparents, but due to their age, they are locked up in the house and I am doing the shopping for them when they need. This has been hard on our daughter as she normally gets to see them a couple times a week and loves spending time there. Because we have to work at the same time as look after her, she gets upset that she has no one to play with. 

We have for the first time in her life, introduced some screen time occasionally, which pains me - the change in her behavior at these times is stark. She goes from being a lively, sing and dancing delight (mostly) to a zombie. I know that some people think that it is necessary, but I don't really see the benefit other than giving us time to work. We have only done this due to the exceptional conditions and I am looking forward to not having to do it again. 

My wife's is a nurse and her brother-in-law a doctor, which means that they have to be working with Corona patients daily. Her best friend is also a nurse and will start visiting pregnant patients at their homes. This concerns my wife quite a lot as they both have families, but they also have a job to do. It is a funny conflict, because people would normally say nonsense like, "Family before the job" and be critical of those who put job first, until those people are healthcare professionals and people are ill.  

For the first time in quite a while, I feel the stress of events getting to me, which I put down mostly to the financial concerns and all of the moving parts to try and mitigate the damage this is doing to our future position. Feeling stressed doesn't mean that anything changes though, I still do what I have to do and take the stance that at some point, I will have the opportunity to do other things. 

At the start of the year I felt that my family had finally turned a financial corner and were heading on to better things, after spending the last nearly four year battling very hard through health issues that crushed our life into a tiny ball. Yet, here we are, back at square one. 

In the @theycallmedan initiative there was a question:

>Have you used this time to strengthen bonds with loved ones, do you feel you'll come out of this a better person?

Yes and no. I think that the last years have made us pretty resilient to a lot of the affects of this emotionally and psychologically, as we have learned how to cope under pressure. We will be better people for having gone through it by recognizing and being grateful for having gone through what I would consider so far, much worse in recent times. 

Pain is the best teacher, but one doesn't have to suffer through it - feeling stress doesn't mean one can't cope - it is just an indicator to be cautious, be aware, pay attention to what is required and let go of what is not. I know a lot of people who are incapacitated as they focus on all of the risks of Covid-19 without realizing that the biggest risk to their health is going to be post-flu, from neglecting to take care of all of the aspects of life that support the future. 

People get so caught up in the events of today that they forget when the world of tomorrow is created. It doesn't matter if it is Covid-19, an election, a star scandal or the Superbowl - many put their life on hold continually while those who are looking to build, *work* toward their end goals. 

The thing is, it really is an attention economy and if we spend all of our attention on the dramas of the world, we have none to spare to improve ourselves and make the preparations for the future we want. I understand that it is hard to maintain focus when there is so much uncertainty in the world, but if one is really looking out for family, friends and the future - it is necessary to at least try to keep balanced, stay strong and keep moving forward - even if only an inch at a time. 

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]


>This post was prompted by the @theycallmedan inititiative that can be found [here.](https://hive.blog/quarantinelife/@theycallmedan/quarantinelife-initiative) I will also be pushing it out to Twitter. 

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