Hello and welcome to ‘Fine Whining’ 😊
Whilst we know this post doesn’t find you well, we would like to thank you for taking the time in your weird ‘lockdown is lifting, should I be going to the park to see my friends?’ schedule to read our post.
We spent a fair amount of time debating how to introduce our blog and decided to start with a lighter take on how to survive the craziness in the world and introduce you to our sarcastic, and hopefully entertaining, tone. As two unemployed, former management consultants, we weren’t sure whether we got the long or the short end of the stick during quarantine. On one hand we didn’t have to ostensibly pretend to be working or sit on mute on endless Zoom calls in our pyjamas. On the other hand, whilst the employed complained about quarantined weekends, every day was a quarantined weekend for us. So after many weeks of Netflix-ing and lying on the floor staring at the ceiling, we decided to share some of the lessons we have learned during the endless quarantine we all found ourselves trapped in at some point or the other.
This blog isn’t just about sarcasm though, we will soon be posting lots of cool food, travel and inspirational people content. This post also isn’t intended to trivialise any of the difficult things going on in the world, but we did think some lightness isn’t the worst idea right now. We have also created a post which includes a compilation of resources we have sourced in respect of Black Lives Matter which we hope will be useful in the ongoing education and support we all are engaging in right now.
In writing this post we followed the professional consulting framework set out below. And of course, attempted to expense our snacks and alcohol (to the bank of parents).
Key question: what have we learnt after weeks of being trapped indoors reading every meme Instagram and WhatsApp group chats throw at you?
Hypothesis: we all miss our friends: online dating still isn’t that much fun, Zoom birthday parties are actual torture and baking banana bread is not as fun as going outside and seeing the world.
Research methodology: we drew inspiration from our situation as well as friends around the world and compiled a high level summary of ‘Lessons we learnt during a Global Pandemic’ based on our manipulation of the data we gathered during this time.*No Excel models were harmed, no data was not provided by a client and no PowerPoint slides were made during this process.
Key Findings:
- It is important to start the day with a good morning routine. Don’t reach for your phone as soon as you wake up. Do some breathing exercises, start a gratitude journal, do a few sun salutations. And then have an existential crisis. We have found these crises lead to better insights once you’ve really set yourself up well for it
- We all have spent way too much money on athleisure wear. Now we all know that the best way to work out is actually in your pyjamas. That way you can be comfortable when you decide to curl up and take a nap, have a small cry, or drink wine on your yoga mat after 10 minutes of pretending to work out
- Cooking or baking is a great way to kill time, especially when you pick an adventurous recipe and fail to read the cooking times. It almost feels like the end of a crazy night out when you’re eating ragu at midnight or waiting for cheesecake to cool at 1 am
- You can now finally follow your dreams and become a throwback travel influencer. New Instagram stories are actually exciting so why not re-post every trip you’ve ever been on, people might actually watch them this time
- Nature took this opportunity to heal and send some fake dolphin sightings to Venice. We learnt that you can heal your relationship with nature by having a G&T in your garden/balcony/imagination and having a chat with whatever animal happens to pass by
- Making a sourdough starter will give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, even when the world feels dark and cold… Because you have to feed it. And every failed starter is just another legit excuse to drink
- We have all had to reassess our lives and priorities so now is the time to decide whether your post quarantine Netflix-inspired life will involve starting a drug cartel, finding a Shah-Rukh Khan type love affair or becoming a corporate bad ass
- Memes are the glue which holds our lives together. We will include links to some of our favorite Insta accounts which have posted memes which kept us warm at night throughout this quarantine
- Quarantine online dating was not the ‘meet-cute’ one dreamed of as a child and is still not a ‘meet-cute’ story. However, having endless text conversations that will probably not go anywhere is a great way to pass the time
- Getting drunk and texting your ex always has repercussions since quarantine does actually end at some point, as we are all slowly learning
- Baking banana bread does not cure the emptiness inside. But it does cure pants which were too loose before quarantine
- Zoom birthday parties are really just an endless stream of people talking over each other and complaining about their WiFi connection. Even the introverts concede we need parties with real-life human interaction
- Lunchtime G&Ts have to be mandatory company policy in the ‘new normal’
Conclusion: as much as life before lockdown was by no means perfect, as humans we need human interaction to survive and no amount of Netflix, baking or Zoom happy hours will make up for real life interactions with our loved ones!
On a more serious note… This has been an exceptionally difficult time for the world and for many has brought our inner demons to the forefront. A big lesson we have learnt is the importance of gratitude and learning to appreciate what we have in life, no matter how small it may seem.
We have reminded ourselves of the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with yourself and your loved ones. We’ve been guilty of neglecting our loved ones in the pursuit of careers and experiences, but this period has shown us the value of having someone there for you, whether it’s a friend, colleague or family member. We have also learnt to appreciate the small things such as the value of clearing your mind during a walk outside, enjoying a drink with a friend over a call and reading a book in the sun.
Most importantly the past few months have shown us our inter-connectedness as a world and that at the end of the day we are all in this world together. We have an active choice every day whether to spread love or hate, choose wisely ❤
And remember, drinking alone is not just no longer taboo, it basically shows you were once a national hero
X x x
Seemz and Mel
(Featured Image by Lamalayogini: @lamalayogini)
finewhiningcom.wordpress.com 
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