When Plan B is Actually Better than Plan A

As life is getting back to normal here in Austria and I can indulge in pretty much all my favourite activities again and meet up with friends I realise that I don't want to do all the things I could do again. 

Like going back to the office, which is possible for 50% of employees at our company from today. Nope, happy to stay on in home office and really glad I can do that for now. 

Another case in point: flying. My favourite airline that happens to be Highflyer's employer survived the crisis (for now) and resumes operations today. I don't know if the flights and related vacations I booked months ago for August and September respectively are going to happen, but if they don't I'm just as happy to stay in Austria. I am definitely not planning to book any vacations abroad for now, much as I would like to support the ailing hospitality industry. Not lying, I do actually miss airports and flying, but I can handle those withdrawal symptoms for now...

This past Friday and Saturday I had module 3 of 4 of a course on conflict management and mediation I am taking and at first I was not amused to find out it would be in virtual form, via Zoom this time. The prospect of spending additional hours in video calls on top of my regular work calls did not appeal to me one bit. Ultimately, I felt less knackered than after the previous two modules, not only because we ended a little earlier, but also because I did not have to drive to the back of beyond by car, have to drink the horrible vending machine coffee of the usual venue and the virtual breakout sessions were just as productive than the live ones. Plus that one participant who always spoke with an annoyingly low voice could be understood perfectly thanks to the microphone of her headset. The fourth module will be held in person at an alternative venue that allows for social distancing, but I would not have minded if it was via Zoom again.