Day 1- 2020: A year to remember or one to forget?!

[Paul1255]

 

Hello everyone! I hope you all are well.

I don't come into the Community Centre as much as I used to, I've found the atmosphere has changed a lot over the last few months- some voices silenced, others amplified- and not as much of the positivity I used to enjoy.

But I am back! And I thought I would use the first post for the Month of Celebration to tell you all about the rollercoaster ride that has been my 2020 🙂

Back in January things were great- my co-hosting business was (almost) running itself, I took a great holiday down to Bath and for the first time in about 2 years actually switched off and left London life and work behind.

In March I was at the Airbnb office here in London enjoying the highlife with lots of my other hosting friends I had met at our Airbnb home host meet ups, as well as Lizzie and the rest of the CC gang, and we had a fab time and life was good!

Not long after that lovely evening guests started cancelling their stays, slowly at first and then most nights I was going to sleep and waking up in the morning to 20/30 cancellations overnight from scared and frightened guests- and then not long after that we went into full lockdown in the UK.

The time between then and now honestly has been a total blur. I've been up and down, some days on top of the world and others unable to claw my way out of bed- but through that time I have had some wonderful people by my side- Susie, who you all know from here in the CC- always checking in with me during lockdown and beyond to see how I'm doing when she was fighting her own battle to stay on top really helped me through.

Friends I've met through Airbnb host meet up events have been great supports too, meeting up and cheering each other up when circumstances allowed.

That's the community I really love! People building each other up rather than looking for a reason to tear each other down.

My co-hosting business has all but dried up- most of my clients have put their Airbnb properties back onto the long term rental market, and apart from the odd business traveller- no one is really coming to London at the moment.

It's with a heavy heart I have come to realise that I need to put co-hosting away for now, and find myself a job that is going to help keep me afloat for the next year or so- so I am currently searching for my next role whatever that may be!

I've been home so much of the time and with not too much to do, I decided to adopt a cat- and I went about getting in touch with some cat charities here in London- and I found 2 lovely kitties, both 15 years old and having a very hard time being adopted because of their age, being black and the fact that they come as a pair.

They melted my heart and I brought them home 2 weeks ago, and have been having a fun time settling them in! Adopting 2 cats or even 1 cat is something that would never have crossed my mind before March- I was so busy with work and "life" I barely had time for myself let alone anyone else.

COVID-19 has made 2020 a year in many ways I'd like to forget, but also a year that I won't help but be able to remember for so many good and positive reasons- and I suppose Airbnb quite rightly falls partly into both categories.

Three years ago, the first time I did a Month of Celebration post I was writing it from the first Airbnb listing I took on when I started my business. This year I write my post as I am winding down the couple of listings I still manage.

I hope that in December 2021 I will be writing that I am starting to build the business back up- but in the meantime I have some wonderful friends who will be on the journey of the next 12 months with me, which I am sure will be just as eventful as this year was 🙂

I didn't know what to add as a picture for my post, so I've added a snapshot of my Instagram- you can see some of the highs and lows right there.

Love and best wishes for the season to you all!

Paul x 

[Catherine-Powell]

@Paul1255 thank you for your post and for sharing your ups and downs in 2020. I so appreciate your desire to share positive thoughts, despite the very challenging times. We do indeed need to lift each other up. I love the story of your kittens! I got a dog this year - first time ever! and he (Ozzy) has been the biggest source of comfort and delight. I wish you a very happy holiday and hope 2021 brings back your co-hosting opportunities. We love having you in the community. Warm wishes, Catherine 

[Judith630]

Hi Paul, @Paul1255  my experience of you is courageous, hopeful, loving, and generous.  My experience of you is authentic, vulnerable and a man with a big heart.  It is great that you are back and noticing the positive shift in the community has created. Happy Holidays!