The Coronavirus pandemic has shook the lives of billions of people around the globe. Across Britain, we have felt the pressure of tough restrictions which halted our lives for 6 months. Ahead of us, we face a further 6 months of seemingly impossible restrictions which could stop us from visiting our family, going to work and interacting with our friends. On top of that, we face missing out on the big run up to Christmas, where we party with our friends and colleagues, enjoy time with family, and celebrate the year with those closest to us. This year, there doesn’t seem like there is much to celebrate.

It is only 92 days to Christmas, and things aren’t looking great for Britain. We stand to lose the biggest celebration of the year. Our pubs and restaurants now shut between 10pm and 5am which leaves us less time to celebrate, and with the rule of 6, we can’t have any big parties at home. Our Christmas shopping trips could be tossed out in favour for online shopping and visits to garden centres to see Santa are less than likely.

However, if this year has taught us anything, it has taught us to value the time we have, because we don’t have forever. To quote Ferris Bueller “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it”. We have realised the true value of our lives since the beginning of this year. One day soon, this will all be a memory to us, and something that changed mankind forever.

So for the rest of this year, in our office, we have decided to keep a smile on our faces and look at the positives in live. Sure, we might not be able to hug, and we can’t go for a drink, but we are so thankful that all our colleagues and customers are safe and healthy. We may not be able to visit our loved ones, but when we can, it’ll mean so much more to us.

Please, if you can, use this time to take care of yourself and your closest family. Write a list of everything you miss and when we finally come through this, you will be able to appreciate it once more. Learn a new skill. With all this time on your hands, find something you like and stick to it. Finally, build your resilience as this will help you to grow as a person.

Here in our office, we are excited for the future and can’t wait to see you all again.