Crisis blogger Tonnie

Children behind the laptop doing school work and I in a video call with 10 of my colleagues. This is how I regularly found myself over the past few weeks. The screen in front of me, as I've seen so many pass by in #coronaproof meeting or simply #vrijmibo on Instagram.

Every now and then an untamed toddler of a colleague hops through the screen, the husband of another – waving into the screen somewhat embarrassed – comes by with coffee and we suddenly see each other's living room, kitchen or junk room. One of my colleagues works in the adolescent's bedroom due to a lack of better WiFi, where we recently saw the adolescent crawl out of bed around 12 noon. That's fun.

I mute, he mute, we muted. It is already comfortable in our house. There is now a ban on muting the teacher. Who would have ever thought that that would become one of the rules at home.

It's all very enlightening for me personally. Of course I find it very pleasant to exchange ideas about anything and everything in our so-called office garden, while 'enjoying' the office coffee. But as far as I'm concerned, things have progressed nicely; at home where I have exchanged the open-plan office for a spot on my balcony and as much as possible only have those in view that I actually need to be able to do my work. And with my own coffee.

Couldn't we keep it all in there? Just stay at home where you can and go out when you have to. There is of course a gray area, especially when it comes to 'where to do it'. I found myself yesterday in the plant department of a hardware store because I really needed a bigger pot for some of my plants. Did my plant and I really need it? No of course not. However, the degree to which I am at home has a correlation with the degree to which I take care of my plants. So now almost to the point of obsessiveness. And so I had to have new pots. But let's face it; We do a lot of things in the current time that don't necessarily have to be NOW?

And so I realize, as I type this on King's Day, that I planned to work today. Limiting the damage of what was done during the time when I should have worked, but one child overheard the table of 4 ('suppose you have 3 Covid-19 virus females and all three have 4 children…?') and I for my other kid was digging deep into my long-term memory when it comes to doing long divisions. But that works; must it NOW? Today? No, that's not necessary either. I'll close my laptop later and celebrate King's Day. A King's drink is planned with the family at 4 pm. I'm going to enjoy that digitally and Corona and alcohol-free. Cheers! Long live the King and everything that must not NOW.