This Shifting Tide
What a month it has been.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was part of the Air NZ Skynest launch, the success of which went beyond my team’s wildest dreams. It was picked up by media across the globe - by Forbes, the Guardian, Business Insider, heck it was even picked up by the Wairarapa Times Age, and you know you’ve really cracked it when you feature in the local rag.
Those two weeks post launch were a whirlwind, as the team relished the positivity received by media and customers alike - checking daily to see how many hundreds more articles we had been featured in, watching my boss go for countless interviews, and seeing Air NZ’s social engagement reaching record highs. We were poised at the ready with answers as to when this might be installed on our future aircraft. Besides the Skynest, we were also in the midst of developing further innovations to deliver to our customers in the 2022 delivery of the new Boeing 787 aircraft.
Design life couldn’t get much better. I was designing the future of aircraft travel for the masses, enabling our customers to have a better experience whether they were travelling for leisure or business, solo, or with friends or family.
And then COVID-19 hit. And all of that positivity has become an unfathomable time in history. I’m now experiencing a second whirlwind in the same month - albeit a rather different kind. The past two weeks have been foggy, like walking blindly into a solid wall, brick by brick.
Firstly, I faced reducing my hours at Air New Zealand to four days a week. Then, it was going to be down to three. And then when I thought it couldn’t get much worse, I now face the very real prospect losing my job completely. On top of that, it’s not exactly the time when enquiries for commissions are flowing! To rub salt into the wound, I was meant to be flying to Hamburg tomorrow (tomorrow!!), to see my love for the first time in 3 months - he lives quite literally on the other side of the world, so we are enduring the absolute epitome of a long-distance relationship. But now, I’m not sure when the next time I’ll see him will be. I’m banking on it being no less than 10 months away.
But here’s the thing. We’re all facing our own battles right now. Some are struggling with finances, some will be stuck overseas, some will have to skip their honeymoon. Others will struggle having to work from home, in an environment which isn’t overly conducive to productivity. And others will have a combination of the above and more.
In all of this uncertainty, we can be certain of only one thing. There will be a shifting of the tide. But it will take time. For now, we just have to go with the flow, gently riding the current. And when the time is right, we will be washed back to shore again. Stronger, and more resilient than ever.
Who knows what is going to happen with my work for Air NZ, but I’m staying positive. Before we all make it back to shore, I’m going to make the most of all my potential free time. Today I wrote a poem. It’s called ‘This Shifting Tide’ and it’s the first poem I’ve written and shared since English class about 20 years ago. I’m no writer, but hey, I’ve gotta get through this self-isolation thing somehow, and if it means sitting down and writing for an hour, then I’ll take it. I might even make this blog thing a regular activity.
Talk soon, and stay safe.
Kate x