@Elinor0: Nice topic!
Related to my Airbnb listing:
A nice surprise for me was that during this year of many cancellations by guests from far away, I also got no less than 4 returning/regular guests from Sweden and Denmark. All have reason to visit Stockholm regularly, they have stayed 2-5 times each this year, and plan to return. And they are all the greatest of guests, too! For this I am thankful.
Otherwise, it fells like this was a «year that kept us apart, but still brought us closer together». Examples:
- My team at work (6 people) did not use to go out for an after work (AW) drink before, or socialize out of the office at all. This year, when working from home, we’ve had several AW sessions via Teams, each from our own living room or home office. It’s been nice to socialize a bit more outside of work, and we plan to continue even when we’re back at the office!
We started having Facetime «meetings» with both my mother and my father-in-law, both of whom live 5-6 hours away and are 70+.
Our best friends moved to Switzerland. But since they immediately started arranging «Zoom-wine-sessions» with our group of friends, we’ve probably «seen» them more often than we did before they left/before this year. It’s easier to fit in a 1-2 hour online session, than a big dinner.
And finally: I realize that working from home - for those who can - may not be easy for everyone, depending on family situation and how you live. But for me, and several of my colleagues, it has actually been really nice. Having meetings and short conversations with colleagues in Teams, has worked very well. Not sitting in an open plan office environment allows us to concentrate better and be more effective. Saving time not having to go to the office leaves more time for gardening, walks, workouts, kids... I hope that this year has proven that people take responsibility, online meetings can be effective, and that we can work more from home, also when things return more to «normal»!