So, Monday was the day we had all waited for with bated breath to hear what the roadmap out of lockdown looked like. “What would we be able to do first?” and “how long would we have to wait to visit and hug our extended family and friends again?” or “When could we go out for a meal and a glass of wine with friends instead of doing so virtually?’’ 

With all schools set to open on the 8th of March and the 6 day countdown of homeschooling (yes, I am counting with you) - what are you most looking forward to? What will be the first thing you do to celebrate your newfound freedom away from having to provide snacks “on tap”. 

However, now with dates being set, there are so many things to do before they become reality. Digging the school shoes out of the cupboard that haven’t been worn since before Christmas and making sure they still fit. Thinking once again about playdates and park trips and oh yes, a trip to the hairdresser come the 21st of April. Then of course there are already all sorts of meme’s flying across social media about getting back into shape before the much-anticipated 21st of June where “no legal limit on life events” comes into play so putting on those dancing shoes or heading down to the beach becomes a possibility. 

Yet the returning of schools is just the first in so many steps on the long walk ahead to get us out of this lockdown life that has become our weird reality. First, the opening of schools and then bars, pubs and restaurants and so the journey goes, each step dependant on the success of the last one, the returning of life as we knew it to be. 

As a team, we were mulling over this journey. In as much as we are looking forward, with much anticipation, to each and every one of these steps and counting down the days to them all let’s take a moment to pause before we rush back into the hustle and bustle of life. Let’s be aware that we can get sucked back into the business of life that we use to know very quickly once the restrictions are lifted. 

Let us stop for a minute and reflect on what has been, then look forward and make sure that as we rush into the new  - we don’t forget to “keep the main thing the main thing”. 

“We live our lives going forward but can only learn by looking backward” is a great quote by Søren Kierkegaard Danish Philosopher  

Let’s pause before rushing forward and take a moment to consider what the lessons are that we can learn and grow from this crazy lockdown season?    

• What are the special moments that you want to carry with you into the next season? 

• What are the things that you want to drop or things that you don’t want to repeat in your day-to-day life, going forwards? Things that may have put what you now know as unnecessary strain on you or those around you?  

• Who are the people you want to prioritize in your diary?  

“We don’t learn from experience but rather from reflecting on our experience”.   

So, let us pause - reflect, learn and grow from this time (one that no-one would ever want to repeat) and hopefully we can have at least learnt some life lessons from this time.