Ultimate Accountability Challenge April 2020

Join

What's on your mind today?

13567

Replies

  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    Chinkiri wrote: »
    Friends
    I think it's important to choose your MFP friends carefully. I only have 4, all also on UAC, and they read my posts, look at my food diary and comment, honestly and supportively, or at least put a 'Like'. I do the same for their posts. I chucked the 'friends' who never comment or even posted, although I did send a DM first to ask if they're OK. I had a spate of guys who wanted me to be their friend, but they had over 100, all women, friends, and never posted anything. They either dumped me or I deleted them. They seemed to use MFP as a dating site. Have you come across them?
    I was sorry to have to delete someone who had over 100 friends; lots of them commented and filled my already overflowing e-mail Inbox even more - I don't want to block notifications because I like knowing when my friends comment or like, but not friends of friends.
    Anyway, thank you UAC for friends, and thank you those of you in the month's Challenge, who comment or put likes or hugs. It means a lot!

    Hey gal!
    Yes, some do feel this is a dating site. I put in my profile you must mention in your friend request how you know me because if I do not recall seeing you within one of the boards I will deny your request.
    I am that way with FB too and am not a big social media person. It just takes up too much time.
    So before I accept I check out the person's profile. If they are too new and have nothing in their profile and I do not recognize them from one of the boards like this one I simply deny. If they really want to friend me they can mention in one of the boards and I will be glad to accept or send a request.
    :smile:
  • Bill70sStrong
    Bill70sStrong Posts: 1,142 Member
    @SuziQ113- Yes, we need those wake-up calls to remind just how fortunate we are. So easy to take what we have for granted!

    Great comments on friend requests!
    Yes, there are lots of creepers, dating siters, nonsense chit-chatters, fishers, scammers, etc. out there!
    If I get a request from someone saying they would like more friends, then check their profile and see they already have lots of friends, right or wrong, I just ignore them as a, " friend collector! "
    And, some of the, shall I say, " risque," profile pics posted are a definite tip off!! lol

    Hope I don't sound too negative!! I'm really a pretty upbeat person!
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    @juliemouse83, I hit "insightful the first time, but also quoted so that I could hit "hug" for the same message. DO consider UAC a "safe place to post" that kind of safety valve message. Others have in the Daily Pages too.

    The italics line (at the end of the second last line inside your spoiler) is my extra-big hug for you.

    juliemouse83 wrote: »
    Hi, guys! 💖💖💖

    Lots on my mind on this beautiful spring Saturday. It’s not sunshine and roses in this post, so I’m going to make it a spoiler.
    My headspace is not so great today. Not going to lie. Work was a scary place to return to yesterday. During the morning the state and county virus count remained the same and the graph line stayed flat. Then it shot back up.

    I was going to go in this morning to make up some time, but by the time I got home I was so stressed out I said bump it. Had the hubs fix me a few stiff drinks. I avoided the news most of the morning, but then looked. Sorry I did. Our local numbers are still climbing and there are more positive patients occupying the isolation rooms. I am so thankful I am not a nurse. They are the true heroes! My nerves wouldn’t be able to take it.

    This is the most frightened I’ve been to date.

    People out here are still crowding into stores, in spite of the retail distancing orders in place. Still no toilet paper or paper towels. My quarantine was a luxury and I appreciated it while I had it. Haven’t been grocery shopping in two weeks, but will need to sometime next week. 😖

    While I know I am lucky to be working and receiving a full paycheck, as many in our organization are not, it does not calm my fears, as I’ll be going back Monday and visiting the same covid units daily. Never in my life have I wanted a shower as badly as I did yesterday morning. Goggles and a four day old mask do not give me confidence coming out of those units.

    We are told that this is enough protection and only those going into infected patient rooms need N95 masks, gloves and gowns. But is it? Really? I am fairly convinced there is more that is unknown about this virus. I am the only one on my team that has to go into these two areas. It doesn’t feel good.

    I know that I am not the only one feeling this, and that is a small consolation. I often wonder if I am going to be able to keep my sanity, if only one day back at work put me in this kind of a tailspin. 😢

    There are mental health resources available to us and you can cool believe that I will be taking them up on their offer. BMcC9: VERY glad to hear that you will be! Hope others around you are doing the same!

    Thanks for letting me vent, if you are one to have hit that spoiler button and have gotten to this point.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow.

    💖💖💖

  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    edited April 2020
    I am re-posting the coping-while-stuck-at-home strategies from my office Workplace Wellness people.

    Mostly fairly common sense, but often just being able to see an official checklist laid out gives a feeling of reassurance and a target for modelling.

    They are targeted more for the general-office-staff-working-from-home and members of the general public who find themselves in varying degrees of lockdown. They are also the first post right at the top of this thread where they can be easily found again at any time.


    TIPS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
    • Stay informed, but follow news coverage about COVID-19 in moderation. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. It can be upsetting to hear about the crisis and see images repeatedly.
    • Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep.
    • Make time to step back and consider how to take advantage of unexpected flexibility in your daily routine.
    • Stay connected. Talk to friends or family about your feelings and concerns.
    • Maintain healthy relationships and respect other people’s feelings and decisions.
    • Show support and empathy to those dealing with difficult situations.
    • Identify what is within your control and try to direct your energy towards what most worries you within your own control.

    Reminder – Helping you and your family stay healthy
    To help keep yourself and your family healthy, please continue to practice good respiratory health: •Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the washroom and when preparing food. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
    •Cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm and dispose of any tissues you have used as soon as possible in a lined waste basket and wash your hands afterwards.
    •Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
    •Clean the following high-touch surfaces (such as toys, phones and remotes) frequently with regular household cleaners or diluted bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water).
    •Limit all non-essential trips and avoid crowds whenever possible.

    Managing your Mental Health in Times of Uncertainty
    The nature of the developing events related to COVID-19 can leave us all feeling anxious and uncertain.
    When our daily lives undergo changes, it can affect our routines, thought patterns and therefore be unsettling. Looking after your emotional well-being is an important practice.
    Caring for ourselves involves the attitudes, behaviours and actions that we take to maintain or improve our well-being. These may include an array of strategies aimed at nurturing the body, mind and spirit. When we are in balance, in all facets of our lives, our body, mind and spirit are in harmony. This implies a commitment and investment to know oneself, to responsibly and mindfully manage our personal resources, and to recognize our limits and choose healthy actions.
    Below you will find some strategies for supporting both your mental and physical well-being in times of uncertainty:
    •Meet your basic needs, ensuring you are eating healthy, drinking plenty of fluids and getting regular sleep. If you are biologically deprived, you may be at risk of endangering your mental health.
    •Take frequent breaks. Go for a walk, listen to music, read a book and/or talk with a family member/friend.
    •Be mindful of your alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and sugar consumption.
    •Limit or avoid looking at news and media related to the situation at hand.
    •Connect with your supports. Talk to your colleagues; connect with family and friends to support each other. At times like these, we tend to isolate ourselves out of fear and anxiety. Tell your story and listen to others.
    •Respect one’s differences. Some people need to talk while others prefer to be alone. Recognize and respect these differences in yourself and in others.
    •Practice a self-care check-in. Pay attention to depressive thoughts and/or signs of stress in yourself. If you experience prolonged sadness, difficulty sleeping, intrusive thoughts, or feelings of hopelessness, it is important to seek support.
    •Identify what is within your control. Worrying about things that are beyond our control is not useful.
    •Be aware of your emotions such as fear, grief, guilt, frustration, exhaustion and so on. When you notice these emotions, work with a family member or colleague to develop a self-care plan. A plan will include activities you have used previously to overcome difficult situations such as regular exercise, meditation or journaling.
    •Devote a moment of each day to reflect on the uniqueness of this time and to make decisions for tomorrow.

    Resiliency promotes courage, empathy, compassion and humility.
    Building up your resiliency includes pausing, stepping back, taking a breath and taking time to recheck our thoughts, ideas and feelings. Being aligned in our values, intentions and current reality are skills that we acquire. Self-awareness, including the ability of introspection, practice of listening and engaging in various reflective tools are key to maintaining optimal mental health.
    Qualities that may emerge include:
    •the attitude of not knowing all of the answers;
    •being open to discovering what will work best in the given situation;
    •accepting things as they are - without judgment;
    •having the willingness and courage to accept that a decision was, in hindsight, the wrong one;
    •willingness to adjust the course without a need to blame or self-criticize; and,
    •having realistic expectations of one’s own performance, including the ability to take responsibility and take steps towards “starting over”.

    At times, we undergo stress that exceeds our ability to adapt and to remain in balance. Sometimes, this may bring anxiety born of feeling powerless in situations beyond our control. Real or perceived powerlessness, the inability to cause or prevent change, may contribute to our feelings of vulnerability.
    Neglecting or ignoring our health and well-being will negatively affect our resilience. Sometimes, talking to a mental health professional can help you regain a healthy perspective on the current situation and its impact on you.


  • cjane917
    cjane917 Posts: 688 Member
    I've been late on catching up on this thread, but I wanted to say that the garden photos are so inspiring! Loving the green and life in them.
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    Dinner has been on my mind. Cruise ship style....or at least my attempt.

    12ajkkid8ac6.jpg
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
    juliemouse83 wrote: »
    Hi, guys! 💖💖💖

    Lots on my mind on this beautiful spring Saturday. It’s not sunshine and roses in this post, so I’m going to make it a spoiler.

    [/spoiler]

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow.

    💖💖💖

    @juliemouse83 I feel for you, I truly do. You're educated and informed and obviously taking precautions. I work exposed to the public every day, but not in a setting like yours, where you definitely know some have the virus. Do the best you can, which is all any of us can do. I have no answers, only to send my sympathy and heartfelt support.

  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    BMcC9 wrote: »
    More on this later, but wanted to remind people that even "seemingly not doing anything (active on or near the front lines) to help out" is ALSO amazingly helpful right now. EVERY break in potential chains of infection has a HUGE positive impact.

    To that end ... I have some sewing to do. More on THIS "contribution to the cause" later as well.

    I know my way around a sewing machine - but not super-duper speedy quilter or anything like that.
    It is now recommended that we wear masks (can be home-made) in places where social distancing can be more problematic (like inside a grocery store) - not all the time for the general public. It is primarily to protect others IN CASE you sneeze or cough and they might be more vulnerable to catching ANYTHING (ie immunity-challenged; invisible weakness like asthma etc)

    It also helps save the medical-grade coverage masks for the first-responders and people who work far closer to (or actually with) COVID-infected patients.

    SO DH did some research, and I have now finished two pro-types that fit my face closely and is designed so that additional layers of filtering can go inside (I have double respiratory weakness factors). The one today - despite glitches and rethreading the machine 3 times - took under an hour to make.

    x6v5awmeeory.jpg



    My BFF will be bringing by a pattern that the local hospital is ask sewers to make up that is even simpler (and also has the pocket design) and can be made up from anything 100% cotton on the inner layer (like any well-washed-before-you-cut too-big t-shirts you might have around) and polyester or poly-cotton or whatever you have on the outer layer. They are even more straightforward to make (each one constructed from two rectangles of fabric)

    These will be used in waiting rooms for non-covid parts of the hospital, can be sterilized and reused, and (again) saves the high-medical-grade masks for the staff that really need them.

    Your local hospital probably has downloadable simple patterns for what they want / need. If you sew - ask your contacts for anything cotton they could donate - if you don't sew, do you know someone who does? Or could the hospital put you in touch with someone who does that you could sent cotton t-shirts (or whatever you can spare) to?

    Even "seemingly not doing anything (active on or near the front lines) to help out" is ALSO amazingly helpful right now. EVERY break in potential chains of infection has a HUGE positive impact.
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
    Hollis100 wrote: »
    juliemouse83 wrote: »
    Hi, guys! 💖💖💖

    Lots on my mind on this beautiful spring Saturday. It’s not sunshine and roses in this post, so I’m going to make it a spoiler.

    [/spoiler]

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow.

    💖💖💖

    @juliemouse83 I feel for you, I truly do. You're educated and informed and obviously taking precautions. I work exposed to the public every day, but not in a setting like yours, where you definitely know some have the virus. Do the best you can, which is all any of us can do. I have no answers, only to send my sympathy and heartfelt support.

    Thank you, Hon! I’m beyond pissed off. This thing is also creating familial discord.

    My millennial son refuses to wear the fabric with filter mask his sister made for him while working in the public face during this time. I repeatedly implored him to wear it. He wouldn’t. Via text, I called him a selfish millennial that has no concern for others. Might have been harsh, but it’s the truth.

    I’m going to be the rebel at work on Monday. If they don’t give me more than a five day old paper mask! 5th flooor can count and log their own clean oxygen tanks. 🤬 if they don’t give me a gown, fresh mask and gloves? 7th can do the same. Almost 19 years there and I’m about to go ham on them all. 🤦🏼‍♀️
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    There are so many things to be thankful for this morning.
    • I am grateful to have awakened to another sweet day.
    • I am grateful for the means to make a wonderful Easter dinner this evening.
    • I am grateful to have found all of the essentials I need to make it through the next 3-6 months without worry.
    • I am grateful for my friend Mari. We can call each other infrequently and it is never awkward. We can go months without speaking and when we do speak it feels like we spoke yesterday.
    • I am grateful to have found this supportive group.
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    @juliemouse83
    Regardless of your position you should be provided with fresh PPE Every Single Day and multiple changes when moving from task to task. I feel your employer is putting you and others at risk. I imagine this is being done with all of the staff regardless of position.

    I am so tired of profits being put ahead of good common sense and respect for people's health. It is one of the reasons why I cannot wait to retire and put it behind me. And, I am not on the front lines. It is simply greed and nothing else.

    Sending strength to you when you have the much needed conversation with your manager(s).

    It is a shame many of us find ourselves in your position (not as extreme) where we know we need our job to pay the bills and have some type of life. I think the corporations/businesses count on our needs. But, darn it - you and your family's lives are at stake here.

    And, no need to apologize for being harsh with your son. You are his mom and will always be his mom. If I was there I would probably give him a slap across the back of his head for you! JK, but I would have words for him.........

    Please keep us posted.
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
    juliemouse83 wrote: »

    Thank you, Hon! I’m beyond pissed off. This thing is also creating familial discord.

    My millennial son refuses to wear the fabric with filter mask his sister made for him while working in the public face during this time. I repeatedly implored him to wear it. He wouldn’t. Via text, I called him a selfish millennial that has no concern for others. Might have been harsh, but it’s the truth.

    I’m going to be the rebel at work on Monday. If they don’t give me more than a five day old paper mask! 5th flooor can count and log their own clean oxygen tanks. 🤬 if they don’t give me a gown, fresh mask and gloves? 7th can do the same. Almost 19 years there and I’m about to go ham on them all. 🤦🏼‍♀️

    A 5 day old paper mask in a medical setting????!! That's horrible!

    I don't work in healthcare. My employer gives me 2 paper masks every time I go to work -- the kind that are blue on the outside, white on the inside. I assume these paper masks aren't very good, but they're better than nothing. I have all the gloves I want -- I can go to the supply closet and take a whole box. The gloves are vinyl, non-latex.

    Somebody told me people are microwaving their masks to sterilize them. I googled it and read that's a good way to start a fire.
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    SuziQ113 wrote: »
    Happy Easter. Snapped this from a creative short on FB. Made me laugh.

    svy94bvc38ks.jpg

    I sooo wish there was a an LOL response button! DH really DID LO (Very!) L and immediately asked me to save and forward him the image so that he could flip it.
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    juliemouse83 wrote: »
    BMcC9 wrote: »
    @juliemouse83, I hit "insightful the first time, but also quoted so that I could hit "hug" for the same message. DO consider UAC a "safe place to post" that kind of safety valve message. Others have in the Daily Pages too.

    The italics line (at the end of the second last line inside your spoiler) is my extra-big hug for you.

    juliemouse83 wrote: »
    Hi, guys! 💖💖💖

    Lots on my mind on this beautiful spring Saturday. It’s not sunshine and roses in this post, so I’m going to make it a spoiler.
    My headspace is not so great today. Not going to lie. Work was a scary place to return to yesterday. During the morning the state and county virus count remained the same and the graph line stayed flat. Then it shot back up.

    I was going to go in this morning to make up some time, but by the time I got home I was so stressed out I said bump it. Had the hubs fix me a few stiff drinks. I avoided the news most of the morning, but then looked. Sorry I did. Our local numbers are still climbing and there are more positive patients occupying the isolation rooms. I am so thankful I am not a nurse. They are the true heroes! My nerves wouldn’t be able to take it.

    This is the most frightened I’ve been to date.

    People out here are still crowding into stores, in spite of the retail distancing orders in place. Still no toilet paper or paper towels. My quarantine was a luxury and I appreciated it while I had it. Haven’t been grocery shopping in two weeks, but will need to sometime next week. 😖

    While I know I am lucky to be working and receiving a full paycheck, as many in our organization are not, it does not calm my fears, as I’ll be going back Monday and visiting the same covid units daily. Never in my life have I wanted a shower as badly as I did yesterday morning. Goggles and a four day old mask do not give me confidence coming out of those units.

    We are told that this is enough protection and only those going into infected patient rooms need N95 masks, gloves and gowns. But is it? Really? I am fairly convinced there is more that is unknown about this virus. I am the only one on my team that has to go into these two areas. It doesn’t feel good.

    I know that I am not the only one feeling this, and that is a small consolation. I often wonder if I am going to be able to keep my sanity, if only one day back at work put me in this kind of a tailspin. 😢

    There are mental health resources available to us and you can cool believe that I will be taking them up on their offer. BMcC9: VERY glad to hear that you will be! Hope others around you are doing the same!

    Thanks for letting me vent, if you are one to have hit that spoiler button and have gotten to this point.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow.

    💖💖💖

    Thank you for this, and thank you for the repost of suggestions for how to cope. I was starting to worry that I was over-reacting. then I called my mom and shared. Mom is low-key at best. She was no less than appalled at my current work situation, she told me to do something I hadn’t even thought of: JUST SAY NO!

    If they can’t give me the appropriate PPE? To hell with them. They can count and document their own damned tanks. I’m a rebel, but not at work, as my job pays the mortgage, but I will go in with that (and I am not playing; this is MY life and my husband’s life at stake, here.)

    I’ve been meditating and accepting the outreach my lesson all friends have been giving me and I am now more at peace than I have been in 48 hours.

    Again? Thank you❣️

    You have a very wise mom. I was also glad to read that last line about re-aligning you actions to your priorities (It IS your life and your husband's life at state here!) and the peace that is bringing you.
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    As I like to say today is Monday fun day!

    I awakened a few times last night and was able to fall right back in to a nice sleep. Most times these types of sleeps happen during the workweek. All is good. I had a productive, restful, lovely weekend.

    For what am I grateful for this morning.
    • I am grateful to be alive.
    • I am grateful to be able to go to work this morning and my commute is a few steps away.
    • I am grateful for the lovely dinner I was able to procure for my Easter dinner. It consisted of roasted corn with fresh tarragon grown in my garden, twice-baked sweet potatoes, and filet mignon.
    • I am grateful to be able to take a nice, hot shower this morning with towels fresh out of the dryer.
    • I am grateful for my life's experiences. Through these experiences I am a stronger person and am able to weather troubling times and events.

    Thank you for those who have been commenting on my grateful posts. I would love to see more posts here with at least one thing for which you are grateful for each day. There is a ton of information out there regarding our happiness and a daily practice includes writing, not just thinking, down the thing(s) we are grateful for each morning. The things we write do not have to be earth shattering or long diatribes. Just the few things we think about each morning. Or the same thing every day.

    I hope everyone has had, is having, or has a nice day.

    Peace to all.
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    BMcC9 wrote: »
    SuziQ113 wrote: »
    Happy Easter. Snapped this from a creative short on FB. Made me laugh.

    I sooo wish there was a an LOL response button! DH really DID LO (Very!) L and immediately asked me to save and forward him the image so that he could flip it.

    I wish there was one too! I think if DH searched UTube for Easter 2020 he would be able to locate the link......I took a screen shot of the beginning of the 30 second post. Bunny continues to hide our new essentials throughout the park/garden.

    There are so many with such creative ways to lighten our situation. I am glad they freely share.
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    edited April 2020
    My gratitude list:
    • I am grateful that my mother put me as a joint account holder years ago, and I can now look up her balance for her any time she wants (in the normal course of events she would have been perfectly capable of still doing her own drop-into-the-bank-as-needed trips)
    • I am grateful that my default exercise choices have always been home-based - and that the main one (for almost a decade now) is a "happy place" where I make a rainbow most every day.
    • I am grateful that I figured out how to get into the new "work-hangout" place (virtual substitute for "general / random / telework tips / kid-teleworkchallenges" round-the-watercooler type exchanges I feel less cut off now, as my continuing tasks are totally solo and unrelated to directly (not even peripherally) supporting main COVID related teams like pretty much the rest of my team and branch is doing (on a Public Health policy, coordination and research monitoring level)
    • I am SOOOOOOOO grateful that the technology available today - like at no other parallel times ever! - allows so many ways for more people than ever before to continue to work from home
    • I am grateful that the same technology is making possible face-time connections and VR game-play link-ups between distant cities, and creative efforts being made and posted to lighten our situation (like @SuziQ113 Easter Bunny clip and the "battle of the orchestras" I posted a link to yesterday
    • I am grateful for the smell of freshly baking bread wafting from my breadmaker machine even as I type this ....
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,451 Member
    I am going to put a very relevant post to the thought I had no right to self indulge in pity concept. It addresses a tangent-issue that some of us have mentioned (or feel but aren't mentioning) - the feeling of guilt of not being ABLE (for whatever reason) to take a more visibly directly-active role as this continues to drags out. Some thoughts on how you actually ARE taking an active role BY seemingly staying passively on the sidelines. I have wanting post something like this but not sure of how to lead into it until now.

    My continuing tasks are totally solo and not even peripherally related to supporting main COVID related teams like pretty much the rest of my team and branch is doing (on a Public Health policy, Fed/prov coordination and research monitoring level).

    In the Canadian Civil Service, the head of the entire bureaucratic structure is the Chief of the Privy Council. This line runs from him/her through the Deputy Minister of each Ministry down to the lowliest clerk. The italic and bold accents that follow are mine.

    In a message passed to ALL civil servants, he said

    "Many of us are keenly aware that we are not working nearly as hard as some on the front lines or on projects and initiatives requiring intense and ongoing effort. I would say this: don’t feel guilty! Maybe you’ve made this kind of exceptional effort in the past; others will be called on to take their turn in the future! It is what it is, and I know that all of us are willing to do whatever is required of us.

    In the meantime, stay sharp and be thoughtful of the contributions you and your teams can make. Please respond enthusiastically if asked to help out with efforts somewhere else, as many have already done. Keep working on assignments whose time will come again! Take the time to train and upgrade your knowledge if the immediate pressure is reduced on your normal tasks.     "

    Here is the whole message.
    Dear Colleagues,

    I wanted to be in touch to share three thoughts.

    The first is to encourage all of us, as strongly as I can, to renew—and redouble if possible—our efforts to take all the public health precautions to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. This is for our own protection and that of our communities right across the country. Hand washing, physical distancing, and staying home except for the necessary requirements—as public servants, we should be leading the way; as citizens, we join with everyone in our communities to make a practical contribution to battling this pandemic.

    Just as important to me as reinforcing the public health advice, is offering my thanks to you. I couldn’t properly capture all the work that is being done by public servants to protect all of us from the virus, to serve Canadians who continue to need help, to design and set up new services for those facing the impact of the pandemic, and to support the infrastructure needed to make it all function. So many of you, in all parts of the country, are working at an unprecedented intensity, some of you at personal risk and so many with significant impact on your own personal and family lives. We have heard the Prime Minister acknowledge and thank public servants for their service, and we should feel proud of what we are doing. We join colleagues in public service at all levels of government, in all forms of service, who are acting professionally and selflessly. Words aren’t adequate, but they are heartfelt—thank you.

    My last thought in this message is to acknowledge the strangeness of what we are going through. For many of us who are separated from our colleagues and those still working in their normal workplaces and having to keep their distance, relying on phones and email for communication, day after day, feels unsettling and upsetting. Some of us have been asked to do different things or even to join different groups or teams that need supplementing. Many of us are keenly aware that we are not working nearly as hard as some on the front lines or on projects and initiatives requiring intense and ongoing effort. I would say this: don’t feel guilty! Maybe you’ve made this kind of exceptional effort in the past; others will be called on to take their turn in the future! It is what it is, and I know that all of us are willing to do whatever is required of us.

    In the meantime, stay sharp and be thoughtful of the contributions you and your teams can make. Please respond enthusiastically if asked to help out with efforts somewhere else, as many have already done. Keep working on assignments whose time will come again! Take the time to train and upgrade your knowledge if the immediate pressure is reduced on your normal tasks. Managers, stay close to your teams and be responsive. All of us can help to reinforce our colleagues and support their mental health.

    The motto of our ongoing renewal of the public service is “Agile, Inclusive, Equipped.” Who knew that “agile” would mean this kind of adjustment! But for now, it does. And who knows what we are learning along the way that will help us be better equipped for the future? As for inclusive, we are all in this together. The Canada that is so reflective of the world is experiencing a global pandemic. Our commitment to being in this together and serving everyone will be an incalculable advantage for Canada. The public service has a big role in making that so.

    Ian Shugart
    Clerk of the Privy Council
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    It's a Monday thing. He doesn't understand mom is working and cannot take an afternoon nap with him.

    2iwjovrs8k0p.jpg
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    Hello everyone.

    I had a somewhat rocky start to the week yesterday. I kept getting kicked off of the network, the BDM (Business Development Manager) could not focus, and lots of catching up to do because of me taking Friday off. The day flew by with some frustration. So I found I had to take my own advice that I give to those who like to complain all of the time, "It is called work for a reason. If it was fun it would be called fun." Now, do not get me wrong, I do enjoy my job, but like most there are some work days I just want to get behind me.

    Most times putting this list together is easy. Other days I have to stretch a little because my brain is not fully up to speed.
    • I am grateful to have another healthy day of life.
    • I am grateful for the aroma of my morning coffee.
    • I am grateful for this time in history. It has provided a test run for future pandemics/hard times*.
    • I am grateful for the commute time savings. I have got many little projects completed around my home.

    *I have lived in SFL for almost 30 years. Over this time I have learned to be hurricane prepared every year regardless of the past year's experience. Starting in January/February I review my pantry and start taking advantage of store sales to stock up on canned goods and long-life food products. Through the start of the season, May, I stock up on water, maintain the storm shutters, pare down the freezer and refrigerator (I have lost 100s of dollars in frozen foods and condiments), check battery stock, review and update my hurricane plan, and a host of other hurricane tasks. As a storm approaches there is another list with tasks to get the house and myself ready to weather a storm. It includes pulling out the coolers and loading them with ice, bringing in outdoor furniture, pulling out battery operated fans, tvs, radios, etc., prepping foods ahead of the storm, and some other mundane tasks.

    Through this experience it is reinforcing some habits I must put in place and others I must reinforce. Most of us have read/heard about preparing for a loss of a job, retirement, children's futures, etc.. We may or may not have another pandemic, but we will all have moments in time where we find ourselves saying, oh, I wish I was better prepared, I wish I had saved more, I wish, I wish, I wish. As preparation items come to mind I am writing them down and am taking some of the free time gained to put things in motion and plan for others.

    As Alexander Graham Bell has been noted to say, "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.". So, yes, this may be a dry run for some of us, some of us have been preparing for moments like this all of their lives, and some may be somewhere inbetween the two extremes.

    I am somewhere in the middle and am working towards being better prepared for life's events. Is anyone else using this time to review their life's plan(s)?
  • SuziQ113
    SuziQ113 Posts: 1,520 Member
    @BMcC9
    I would have loved to been at your house yesterday smelling the bread baking. I picked up some bread flour for a future rainy day weekend project. I have never baked bread from scratch (well, fruit breads, but those do not count) and am looking forward to it. Lately the weekends have been lovely so I have been spending most of my weekend time in the garden and outdoors. :smiley:

Categories