Last Friday, April 2, was my anniversary, and it’s one that I really did not want.

You see, on April 2, 2020, I started working exclusively from home because of COVID-19. I had never been in such a situation before so I was a nervous wreck.

I feared that my Internet connection would not work because sometimes things stop working at the moment you absolutely NEED them to keep going.

I also feared that the web-based system that I use for work might ‘conk out’ when it feels like. And it has on a few occasions. Trust me, you did not want to be around me when that happened.

Minor logistics like where I would set up in the house didn’t dawn on me until I pulled the company’s desktop gently out of the box. News flash, sitting position is highly important.

Also, this isn’t my personal computer. It’s the company’s property. So when I feel like punching the screen because the work is about to drive me insane, I have to refrain.

But there are upsides to working from home. For instance, I appreciate not having to drive home after a long day at the office. But there are several downsides as well.

For one, you’re pretty much expected to always be at home, even if they don’t say it. So you’re getting calls at all times of the day even before your ‘shift’ officially starts. That’s annoying. Plus, because everything is so darned fast-paced these days, you’re pretty much expected to be able to put things out at any time of day. Weh sleep a go?

But the biggest issue for me has been the fact that my parents get a first-hand view of just how tough my job can be. Sure I’m not a healthcare worker, but in this day and age where people need credible news and enjoyable entertainment content, it means the media has to work double-hard.

We have to keep persons up-to-date on the pandemic, but also not burden them down with the grim realities of the situation. We have to diversify the content so that they don’t become scared of their own shadows, while simultaneously not trivialising the whole pandemic. That, ladies and gentlemen, is not an easy feat to achieve. And the social media users are brutally (and unfairly) hard to please. So that means work stress, at least for me, a man who fusses over EVERYTHING, is at an all-time high. And it shows. And my folks notice.

Can’t even quarrel in peace without my parents wondering if I’m a hair’s breadth away from a stroke. I try to look at the positives. I don’t have to go out much. I’m saving on gas and beer money and my Internet connection has stood strong (thanks FLOW). But if ‘Ms Corona’ could go about her business now, I would be grateful.

It’s quite simple really. Even an introvert is meant to go outside. So (raises glass) here’s to one year. But let’s not make it two.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash.

Link me at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com.