“Adopt and adapt”, those were the words we started to hear in March of 2020. But was the changeover that easy? No.
Recently more and more offices and people of society had to hear those words once again. But again I ask is the changeover that easy? I see it more in a 50 / 50 kind of way. South Africans drastically had to adjust to the world’s changes at the beginning of Covid-19. The uncertainty, fear and everything else that came with it we had to tackle head-on.
I never thought in my lifetime I would see the day when I had to wear a mask, was limited to seeing friends and family, limited to the indoors and had to adjust my working environment and logistics.
Losing loved ones due to complications of Covid-19 was a weight no one was ready to carry. We simply just had to adopt and adapt. As the months and years went by, we slowly got into our groove of the “new normal”. But the chains that bound us started unravelling. The doors of South Africa started opening. But were we ready for it? For some yes, for others no. The restrictions in place were lifted and we could see family and friends, let go of the mask and take a breath again.
Many could not wait to get back to the way things were before, yet the scars and changes that Covid-19 had left, others cannot forget so easily. Many still live in fear of Covid-19 and do not want to take any chances. Even today you see people wearing masks and sanitising their hands.
The adopt and adapt system is not as easy as switching a light bulb on and off. One thing we cannot deny is the fact that Covid-19 taught us a great deal. In a strange way it opened the doors to new opportunities, placed us out of our comfort zone and made us take risks. I believe that the time period also proved how we can adapt in the workplace and not be stubborn in our ways.
It showed us that we can be flexible and make anything work. I believe that this whole situation showed us that we shouldn’t underestimate ourselves and our abilities.
