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 

[Nick]

@Gordon0  😻😻😻 

[Paul1255]

@Gordon0  Your kitty is adorable!!

Absolutely I remember. How alien wanting to shake someone's hand seems now compared to earlier in the year- as alien as being in a sealed room full of a 100 strangers. We live and learn.

It would be lovely to meet up for a coffee, hopefully 2021 is looking a bit brighter.

[Clara116]

@Paul1255  thanks so much for the honest and very descriptive walk with you thru this year. You are so right in your assessments of and glance around the CC and many other parts of most of our lives and world. 

I was smiling so big to read about your adoption of the 2 black cats (and older ones) - your act of this  tells much about your kind heart and the caring person you are. (I kinda thought so Paul)!

I have 2 little dogs (adopted of course) and they help me navigate every day - they count on us to feed, shelter them and in return we are rewarded so much more than we give, I think -  they are real treasures and give comforts and stick by my side, esp. when I'm challenged or struggling - they know it somehow and draw in closer to add extra comfort and love. 

Paul, I'm wishing you much peace and some fun with the new 2 cats - The most pressing question for now..........what's their names? Surely they came with names? Or did you pick names? 

May we remember the good stuff and somehow allow the unwanted parts of 2020 to float away.

Blessings to you and the 2 kitties, Clara

[Paul1255]

So lovely to hear from you @Clara116 ! and so lovely you have two adopted doggos- what are they called?

These boys came with their names from their previous owner. Archie and Tyler, I kept them- I think they're cute!

[Clara116]

@Paul1255 gotta love those people names. My boys are called Eddie and Bentley.... Eddie I named and Bent came with his name. He had one totally floppy ear all bent and I suppose that's the reason.  He's my velcro boy...if he could get on my skin...he'd do it. He came at 9 mo's old with bad PTSD and anxiety...it took about a year before he began to trust and ease down some. Walking the 2 is a trip.... Eddie lives for walking, smelling and marking and exploring... Bentley is on full alert...sees and hears all within a couple blocks has no interest like Eddie except making sure we are ok.... Eddie is teaching him about smells and it has taken 3 yrs now and he marked like Eddie does finally yesterday... first time. Wow...we celebrated! Is that crazy or what. Only another animal lover will get it. 

Blessings Paul

[Paul1255]

Ah such lovely names @Clara116 !

[Solveig0]

Great start @Paul1255 , I've not been as active here on the CC either, I think because in general my Airbnb activity is down, so its not top of mind. 

Here's Magnus, Chief Mousekeeping Officer. Living on an old far mice is always a posibility... 

[Paul1255]

@Solveig0  Magnus looks to regal! What a beautiful cat.

[Jennifer1421]

Enjoyed your post @Paul1255, it's lovely to hear your "voice". Like you, I've not dropped in to the CC of late - mainly because I've had our listing snoozed since February. Also like you, we've found that we're now in the happy position of offering a home to a new (old) cat, who has been here now for a week. She's pretty chill, and does little but sleep and eat. We're not judging though, since that's about all we're doing these days 🙂

Miss Calliope

Not entirely sure why I'm unable to rotate this pic. Sorry for that...

[Ute42]

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@Jennifer1421 

I've rotated the picture for You. I am german. Germany is a high tech country.

[Nick]

oops @Ute42 (did the same on Jennifer's reply without seeing yours fist 😂 - Apologies) 

[Jennifer1421]

I bow to your superior tech skills @Ute42 ! Thank you! 😀

[Nick]

Did some behind the scenes magic for you there @Jennifer1421 

Couldn't leave Miss Calliope in such a state 😹

[Jennifer1421]

Miss Calliope and I thank you @Nick ❤️

[Paul1255]

@Jennifer1421  what a lovely cat! So sweet 🙂 mine too eat and sleep mainly- but now they have settled in and I have let go of the notion that they only want to sleep- they enjoy chasing a laser dot pen around the living room, which I find quite entertaining!