EmCoyEe of the Month

It has been over 18 months now since I have been working from home and I have to say, I have loved every minute of it. As an introvert, it's been a pleasure not going into a hectic call centre office, but getting all comfy and wrapped in blankets on my sofa instead. It's not for everyone, I know, but for someone who loves solitude and peace and quiet, this is just ideal. On the warmer days, however, I have enjoyed sitting in the back garden with my laptop, soaking up the sun. I am lucky enough to have a pond in my back garden with a water feature and an abundance of fish. I cannot overstate how much of an effect the running water and these fish have had on my mental health. When I sit outside beside the pond I feel my anxiety and stress instantly start to melt away. Even though I am working and answering emails etc, my concentration is on the relaxing tones of the babbling waterfall and the occasional splashes of the fish playing at the water's surface.

One of my favourites is a 21-year-old coy carp who is by far the biggest in the pond who I have aptly named Arnie, after a certain muscle clad film star (Schwarzenegger). He has a bent tail fin so cannot swim like a normal fish which makes him all the more endearing. My other favourite is one which I have called Marilyn because she is bright white with red lipstick and a heart "tattoo" on her side. She is a real pin-up but very difficult to get a photo of as she is so elusive. There are also a lot of very young goldfish in the pond which are black. As they have grown older over the summer they have started turning golden, creating some really striking patterns. One of them has turned golden underneath and still has a black back, with golden specks along its side, making it look like it is on fire. It is almost magical to see it darting around the pond.

There are times when I can be a little too distracted by my new (I have only recently moved into my home) companions. I often find myself leaning over the pond for minutes on end just to watch the fish meander their way around their home. Then I find myself pruning the plant life and fishing out stray leaves with my net. Before I know it, forty-five minutes have passed. Shh, please don't tell my boss.

But all of these fish deserve to be my 'employees of the last 6 months'. Without them I for sure would have had some kind of mental breakdown by now. My job security and my actual job role has been changing by the week over the last few months. What was a stable job before the pandemic hit has now become much less secure. There are rumours that my particular role will be outsourced to an Indian call centre in the near future too, so that's just another thing to worry about. I have been actively looking for other jobs in the meantime and there is not a lot out there, so the fear is real. These peaceful, tranquil animals have helped keep me calm when everything else about me has been absolute chaos. Over the summer it has been a joy to work outside with my aquatic friends. The running water, the fish and the vast amount of vitamin D, that I cannot get in a stuffy office, have been a massive contributor to my improved mental health this year. Long may it continue.

John xx