Whatever 2020 was like for you, I think few will think that the year went according to their original plan or hopes!

2020, the year of a global pandemic. The year where ‘unprecedented’, ‘social distancing’ and face coverings became a normal part of life. A year when lockdowns and restrictions blighted most of the year. The year when we were unable to hug friends and family.

The darker side

It was, without a doubt, a dreadful year for some. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to work on the front line of medicine within the COVID-19 wards. To anyone who became ill or is still ill, it must have been awful. To those who lost friends and loved ones, my heart goes out to you. The pain of loss made worse by not being able to share scary moments in hospital or say goodbye at funerals.

Then there there are the hidden losses or misses. All those athletes at the prime of their sporting careers not able to compete in events from local park runs all the way up to the Olympics. What would their outcome have been? They can only dream or imagine.

When it came to work, some businesses were devastated, thousands were left unemployed or with very scarce work. Furlough was a relief for some. Yet others were busier than they had ever been.

School children couldn’t prove their studying by taking GCSEs or A levels and had statistics and assessments determine their outcomes.

Extended families couldn’t be together at Christmas.

Isolation and loneliness were a big issue.

I learned how important swimming is to me. It seems that swimming helps keep my body in good physical shape. Not being able to swim in the pool for large chunks of time has lead to issues with my back and hips that have stopped me sleeping. Each time we were allowed back to the pool it would take several weeks to get back into some sort of fitness & shape and just when I started to think all would be ok, another lockdown would start. It was frustrating to say the least!

Then there’s my corporate role - suddenly I was working from home and spending all day on zoom in meetings. One of the things that I’d really struggled with working for AstraZeneca was the very long commute, so this seemed too good to be true! There was a downside though. Suddenly, my commute was about 2.5 minutes and not 2.5 hours - fabulous, or so I thought. It meant I could get up later in the morning and I really did need the extra sleep after a few years of the impact of sleep deprivation. But, I effectively became jet lagged! Huh? Well, I mean that when the pools opened up again for masters training, I really struggled to get up for training - the fatigue was immense. I’d never have guessed that impact!

Is that it though? Was it all bad?

What about the positives?

Early on in this pandemic, a friend very carefully pointed out on social media that whilst we’re all in the same ocean, we’re not all in the same boat. What does that mean? Well, it means that whilst we’re all living with this pandemic, my experience of it and your experience of it are likely to be different. Sometimes very different.

I’ve seen a lot of posts since new year saying good riddance to 2020, what a dreadful year. I see it a little differently. From within my boat I do recognise the anguish and sadness, the pain and loss. I also saw some incredible things come out of 2020.

Community spirit

One of my earliest recollections within the first lockdown and the ‘Once a day’ exercise opportunity was how friendly people were when I passed them when out on my bike. Just about everyone looked up, smiled and said ‘hello’. Maybe it was the human interaction when that had been taken away. I don’t know, but I did like what I saw.

Appreciation

With a whole generation of children having to do their schoolwork at home, and despite many schools providing online learning support to ensure a good quality of education, parents suddenly came face to face with having to play an active role in their children's education. The posts of appreciation for teachers and how they are grossly underpaid did amuse me. I’m certainly thankful that I didn’t have to juggle work, childcare and schooling this year.

I watched, with pride, my eldest daughter shine as a teacher.

Innovation

This has been a year with unprecedented (there’s that word again) innovation. I admired the companies that switched what they manufactured to help the UK government build a stockpile of PPE and ventilators. It felt like war-time spirit, everyone aiming to support the same common good.

Pharmaceutical companies, like the one I work for (more of that later) accelerating the development of vaccines. Scientists have played an immense role in guiding us through this pandemic.

Companies who previously relied only on a physical presence quickly adapting to an online model.

Organisations like Dover Channel Training that I run, who could not operate in a COVID-19 secure way with old ways of working, completely reinvented themselves to enable them to continue to support their customers. At first I thought it was just too difficult. Maybe we should just cancel the season. But then we got a group of swimmers from different professional backgrounds together and we innovated. We came up with something that was not only COVID-19 secure but was actually better than before.

We saw (after a surprisingly long delay) pop up shops dedicated to face covering in all shapes, sizes and designs.

The list goes on. 2020 was a year of great innovation.

Online community

Companies like Zoom really came into their own. Since we couldn’t be with our friends and loved ones for large parts of the year, we connected online instead. In my family we played international monopoly via zoom - why haven’t we done this before? Within Dover Channel Training, we had virtual training sessions when we couldn’t meet - a way of still feeling connected to the community.

There were quiz nights and all manner of family & friend gatherings. A bit like the innovation point, we found ways to be together when we couldn’t.

Values

The pandemic seemed to make individuals and company values more transparent. Whilst some uncovered flaws or some not so nice characteristics, many showed just how great they were at the core.

As I mentioned earlier, I work for AstraZeneca. I was due to leave the company on the 2nd April, but my boss asked if I would consider staying on a while longer to help keep things steady during this very unusual year. I agreed because of the respect that I have for my boss. I’m so glad that I agreed. I got to see the company act at its very best. Yes, the science has been amazing, but what has touched me more was seeing that the values of the company are real and not just words on a slide or a piece of paper. When I do eventually leave in a couple of months it will be with some regret, with a whole heap of good memories and with a large a amount of respect for the company and it’s leaders.

Opportunities

My youngest was at college in the USA when COVID-19 really became an issue. She was away for the weekend to find that her college went into lockdown. She had to react quickly. Where to go? Go to Canada to my sister’s house or come home. Neither were easy to do with borders starting to close. She came home. Then the challenge of what next. The college were pressing her to go back in the late summer despite it being in one of the worst regions of the USA for COVID-19. That brought all sorts of challenges including whether any medical cover would be valid.

She was then offered a place at a college in the middle of nowhere in Canada. Gosh, now what to do.

One of our family zoom calls chatted it through and my eldest mentioned that she knew of the basketball coach at the University of Calgary - that would be a great place to be. She wrote a letter to see if there was an opportunity, we fully expected there wouldn’t - imagine the surprise when she was offered a place.

A better university, a better basketball programme - all because of the turmoil caused by COVID-19. She wouldn’t have even looked elsewhere otherwise.

New discoveries

During the various lockdowns I couldn’t swim. I’m not one for running and don’t enjoy walking all that much. I decided to take up cycling again and decided to get an e-bike. That was the best decision! I cycled all over the local area and found places near me that I didn’t even know existed! I absolutely loved it.

I mentioned the impact of working from home ‘jet lag’ earlier. After coming back to training after the second lockdown and struggling with fatigue and change in routine yet again, I decided that I wouldn’t fall for that trap again and instigated a pseudo commute! I set my alarm for earlier and went out on my bike for a 12.5km ride, regardless of the weather. That enabled me to be back home in time for breakfast and at work on time. I expected it to help with getting up earlier (we’ll see after this lockdown), an unexpected benefit was having a clearer mind and being much more alert during the day - a lovely and unexpected bonus. It’s also a great habit, one which I intend to keep.

We didn't plan it this way

Nope, we really didn’t plan 2020 to be the way that it was. That was completely outside of our control. Many of us were forced out of our comfort zones in order to be able to continue. By nature we are creatures of habit who seek the route of least opposition and we often only make small incremental changes by choice, not great big innovations.

We were forced to think differently. I think some great news ways of working and living were created as a result. Some of the change I’ll be glad to see the back of, like wearing face coverings and not being able to hug, for example. But some of the changes I’ll keep - like international zoom monopoly with the family and my pseudo e-bike commute.

What changes have you made in your life that you’ll:

Gladly lose as soon as possible?
Will keep now?

Unfinished business

I set out in 2020 to achieve a few things:

To leave my corporate career and focus on my business full-time
To complete the Catalina and 20 Bridges swims
To gain my Level 1 & 2 Swim Teacher qualifications

These plans were put on hold.

In 2021 I will be leaving AstraZeneca.

I don’t yet know if or when the swims will take place. It’s not yet clear when international travel will be possible or sensible. I’m also not physically where I would want to be, though I know that can come back. I’m just going to see how things go rather than commit to a date that is not entirely within my control!

I did all the course work for the Swim Teacher qualifications and now need to do my assessments. I got close with a rearranged date and then we went into lockdown again. I’ll try again in 2021!

What did you set out to achieve in 2020 that got put on hold?