They say that pressure can either burst a pipe or make a diamond and for the first time (certainly in my life) we face a challenge that is not limited to a specific segment, but is something that is felt worldwide.
Being able to work from home is a luxury that not all will have and whilst those freelancing or self-employed are desperate to work to earn a living, many are working overtime to fill essential roles. To stand in the dark in a small village hearing clapping and cheering was a powerful moment, but that’s exactly what happened on Thursday 26th March when the country gathered to applaud the NHS for all the hard work that they do and for putting themselves on the front line to care for us, our families, friends and members of our communities.
Some businesses will be thriving from increased demand and others are forced to adapt to this new way of living, thinking outside the box in order to stay afloat until lockdown is lifted. As we face new challenges in this period of uncertainty, it’s reassuring to see fewer burst pipes and more diamonds being created. Hotels are being utilised as either hospital beds or to house the homeless, food chains are providing free or discounted meals to emergency services and supermarkets are offering restricted access to the elderly and vulnerable. From collecting shopping for someone unable to go out for themselves or simply staying home and out of the way of those doing their job, we all have the opportunity to contribute and it is our decision as to whether our actions will have a positive impact. Throughout everything there’s an appreciation that we all have our role to play in society, both during this period but also afterwards as we return to our day jobs on a local, national and global scale we are unique as individuals but combined as humanity.
“Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid” - Einstein
Our social enterprise café The Cookie Bar closed its doors to the public and in light of the situation, decided to suspend their subscription cookie service as their customers are predominantly office-based, providing cookies for their employees. Despite having the option to delay, COINS’ clients Avant and Redbox both requested that their cookies should instead be taken to a local hospital for staff to enjoy. A small gesture, this shift in mindset encompasses the direction we could, and should be taking as we look to move forward. It was humbling to hear our combined British gesture to our NHS, grateful and optimistic as a nation but these smaller acts of kindness and compassion that will often go uncelebrated are just as significant. Perhaps instead of going ‘back’ to normality we can move forwards, learning from this experience to work towards a new normal that encourages us as individuals to take a break from our hectic lives and commit some time towards things that matter – health, family, compassion and appreciation towards others. Let’s not allow this situation to drown us, let’s make some more diamonds that will last long after isolation…