Be careful what you wish for.
If you'd have told me at the start of this year that I'd spend two of the next 12 months off work - not just being permitted time off, but not actually being allowed to work - and still receiving 80% of my salary, I'd have been nose-deep in Lonely Planet books before you could say 'Covid-19'.
But of course, it's 2020, coronavirus is king, and I'm not going any further than my garden gate unless it's for one of these four very good reasons. That's right, I, along with my colleagues, have been put on furlough for April and May, meaning we're not working for these two months.
My main feeling towards my furlough period at this point? Gratitude. I'm thankful, both to my company and to the government, to still be receiving a large portion of my salary at this time, when many others have lost jobs. I'm also relieved that I'm in a fairly blessed position of not having a mortgage or any dependents.
To be clear, because a few people have asked me - I completely understand and support my company's decision, and without going into too much detail, I believe it's the best way the situation could have been handled, with the most chance of us all have jobs to return to in the long run.
Right now though, on day one of being furloughed, it's hard to imagine two months without doing the job that I've been doing - and loving - for more than six years, and was working towards for about four years before that.
But if I'm lucky enough to emerge from the current situation with nothing worse than 'being a bit bored' to worry about, then I'm a damn sight more fortunate than many people all over the world, and I'm very aware of that. Speaking of which - what am I going to do with myself for the next eight weeks?
International, or indeed domestic, travel is obviously off the cards, but I've got plenty of plans. There's this blog for a start. This is my first post since *winces* October 2018, and while I can't promise I'll be bringing you daily updates, the mental break from my day job might inspire me to write a couple more posts. I've also got vague plans involving reading, crafting and cleaning, but I'm trying to pace myself.
I'm writing this because it's a weird time, and I want to be able to look back in a couple of months - whatever the situation then - and remember what I was thinking and feeling in early April. Like writing down the preconceptions of a place before you visit, if you will, allowing me to compare my expectations vs. the reality. Except this time, unlike a long-planned bucket list trip, I haven't had enough warning to form any expectations beyond the above.
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