Remember that strange time last year we called lockdown?!
Of course you do, it’ll probably be burnt into your brain for ever.
It definitely had it’s cons:
Like, in Melbourne, no shops were open (other then necessities), we couldn’t go further then 5 kms from your house, no playgrounds or schools open, maximum face to face interaction could only be done outside with one other person for one hour, doing some form of exercise.
But let’s not forget the perks too:
Like that amount of forced down time (no plans or commitments) was refreshing boring and simple and calm. Lots of bonding time with your immediate family or the person/people in your household. No travel time to get to work or the extra curricula class you were taking. All those house chores and odd jobs got done.
Thankfully, I could still work during COVID’s lockdown. Just on Zoom. Thank goodness for technology hey?! And guess what? I still teach a mat class virtually, I have clients from all over the world. It’s not too late to join in. Replay available too.
We were in a situation where, our control over our daily choices was taken away from us for a long time so we turned our focus to what we could control, and when that comes to your immediate environment, that included a large focus on what and how much we drank and ate. How many people have you heard talk about COVID kilos or how they should have bought shares in their local bottle shop (my hand is firmly up!!)
All that drinking, eating and down time has made me realise something, that I’m neither an extrovert nor an introvert but actually there is such a thing as an ambivert (yep, a combo of both!). Extroverts get their energy from other people, while introverts get their energy from turning inwards. The direction ambiverts lean toward varies greatly, depending on the situation. Ambiverts have a much easier time adjusting their approach to people based on the situation (Travis Bradberry for Forbes). It’s never really sat well with me to fully classify myself as one or the other, because I can thoroughly enjoy the both, for example:
1. I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I don’t have much preference either way.
2. Social settings don’t make me uncomfortable, but I tire of being around people too much.
3. Being the center of attention is fun for me, but I don’t like it to last.
4. I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation.
5. Small talk doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it does get boring.
6. When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes I’m skeptical, and other times, I dive right in.
Travis Bradberry from Forbes said that 2/3rds of people don’t strongly identify with being either an introvert or an extrovert, so maybe you can see yourself in these descriptions too?
Where on the scale do you land?
With all this in mind, and given the shitshow that was 2020, I found the whole thing internally conflicting, like one part of me was loving lockdown life and the other part of me was not cool with it at all…while my introvert cup was overflowing at the brim, it was very hard to fill up my extrovert cup.
Another part of lockdown life I feel really impacted a huge area of my life, was my role as a parent. Given the schools were shut for almost two terms, homeschooling became a way of life for a while there. And since establishing the struggle to socialise, there was no access to energising my extrovert self. I often thought the full brunt of that was probably experienced by my family the most (Sorry fam! Sorry for the things I said in lockdown!)
I also had all these unfulfilled dreams about how I would participate in my eldest sons first year of school life. When I was in primary school, I have these wonderful memories of my Mum coming into school to help with readers. She would come in and bring my friends and I treats while we would read books and tell funny stories. I just loved it so much.
And I felt ripped off that I didn’t get to do that in my son’s first year of schooling.
I felt ripped off from being allowed to go into the school grounds to pick up and drop off my child.
Ripped off from walking into the first ever classroom my son was going to spend time in, knowing who he would sit next to, where his locker would be, where would he put his lunchbox, his water bottle, his reader.
Ripped off from being allowed to walk through the hallways with a proud little boy by my side showing me his artwork and letters and numbers.
Ripped off from making relationships with other school parents, neighbours, school locals and teachers that will shape and influence my child’s early years.
This gate was as far as I got into the school grounds for most of last year.
And this is where I felt my extrovert self suffering again.
I want to know the community that my kid is going to spend the next 6 + years of his life, I want to know what’s going on with his little mates and his interactions. I’m well aware that there will come a time when he wants nothing to do with me, but while he wants me there, then that’s where I want to be.
But alas, I can’t be there all the time…I still have to work. I also know I can not be a stay at home mum (hats off to the women that do do that!) The good thing about being in business for yourself, is you have some degree of say in the hours you keep.
So I want my hours and my output to be at least partially in the community that my kids are apart of. I want to use my skills to build up and unite my community, given how much we couldn’t last year. That’s why, starting today (this blog was published on April 23, 2021), I am taking a Mat class at Moorabbin Primary School! In the school hall, after the morning school bell. It’s not just for parents of the school that can attend either, anyone local to the neighbourhood is welcome.
It’s a win-win in my book, by making connections and having a presence in the community, I feel energised. It gives me purpose and motivates me to know I am having a direct impact on my son’s friends parents. Those parents work on feeling strong, mobile, confident, connected, supported and will take that back to their homes with their kids. And those kids get to play with my son and hopefully the whole effect is catchy!
I’m also so excited that I can donate a percentage of the profit each week to BayCISS (Bayside Community Information & Support Service Inc), a registered not-for-profit community charity providing an extensive range of services for community members living in Bayside and Kingston.
The prospect of this class is really giving me life. Teaching Pilates is a pretty rewarding career. I get to make people feel better in their body every damn day. Now I get to do this with people who I will get to know outside of the session too. I can see the positive impact with my own eyes and I’m so proud to be apart of that.
If you are local to Moorabbin, Bayside, Victoria, Australia and want to join in on the fun, it’s not too late. New attendees are welcome each week. Check out this flyer for more details or contact me directly here.
