We had a funny moment yesterday. Sitting together with a group of
friends, suddenly the girl next to me points out that there is a flock (or is
it herd?) of cows leisurely strolling in through the gate and coming into the
property. A random trail of thoughts passed through my mind including, “that’s
interesting... maybe the local cow-herder has an agreement that he can bring
the cows in to graze on the football field...” However, my thoughts were
quickly interrupted (and proven wrong) by a couple of the guys jumping out of
their chairs when they realized what was happening and running outside to shoo
the cows back out using palm branches. I was amazed at the speed of their
reaction (the guys, not the cows- they seemed in no hurry to leave, although
they did eventually make their way out the gate again). It was what you could call
and amusing interruption.
A week ago we were sitting at work talking about how quickly the Corona situation was escalating. News of closed gyms and limited gatherings were there, and we were wondering what now. Only the day before we’d been open, and while taking the hygiene precautions and reminding each other to not hug or shake hands, there was a sense of support in each other, and normality was still there. Then suddenly it all changed. From being a crisis in China and Asia, then Italy, it had well and truly arrived in Norway. Friday morning we sat in our staff meeting. News of the closing of all schools and kindergartens for two weeks had come the evening before. We sat there with so many questions and few answers. The one thing we knew for sure was that this was a time to be available and present. A time to be proactive, and to make sure our people knew that we were there even if we weren’t open. That day we made many phone calls and sent messages and emails. Some were worried and needed reassurance,...