Corona - Lock Down in Austria

Last Monday the gates of the Dachsteinkönig and the Alpenrose closed, and on Wednesday the Familux Resort in Oberjoch joined them. Until further notice! Halt! A compulsory break! What to do with the time you’ve gained? Personally, I have a lot of tasks on my list: “When I have time then….! If I have time, I’ll read this book with 2,946 pages. If I have time, I’ll start doing a bit of sport. When I have time, I can finally sort out my kitchen cupboards. Oh yes, and I also want to write a book when I have time. In the first days of the break, I was full of energy and wrote to-do lists, I cooked and baked and read a lot – except for cleaning, there’s time for that later. Then I realised that I’m not allowed to have visitors and if I keep baking like this, I’ll gain at least three kilograms in the first week of “social distancing”. So, I have to come up with something. “Home Workout”! Yes, that’s a great idea, I’ll have to do some research on that right away. Of course, that takes time, and the yoga mat is also stowed away somewhere in the basement. After two days of research and half a day of hunting for the yoga mat, the time had come. I had the music, I had the exercises, I had the mat, I had a water bottle. But I didn’t have the motivation… Slightly frustrated, I went to bed and started streaming my favourite series. That didn’t help either. It’s all about power and money and if the DAX collapses somewhere, it’s all over anyway. Sleep! Sleeping seemed to be the only right thing to do. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1….. The next morning, I got up and thought of a book I had read once, back when I didn’t have time for it. It’s called “The 5 Second Rule”. The method is simple as it is subtle, you count backwards from five to one and then you just do what you want, should or have to do. This “rule” is even based on findings from brain research – so – let’s go.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1….. coffee first. My brain and I are apparently a phenomenon. My phone is ringing! Lord, thank you!!! On the other end of the line is my colleague Stephanie from reception. We exchange ideas. Sharing our thoughts and laughing! Finally laughing again. How good it is to hear her voice. She is currently knitting a scarf and her fiancé Marcel is cooking a lot these days, as he is Junior Sous Chef at the Dachsteinkönig. We arrange to meet for a “video dinner”. A wonderful idea and thanks to technology, social contact is made possible in times of “social distancing”. Social distancing vs. social network. After this conversation, I rummaged around for my work colleagues on the social media channels. After all, it’s not just me – I’m not alone. It just took me a while to figure it out – I say, my brain and I…. Lukas, our sommelier, is baking yeast dumplings and tasting red wine. Bülent from reception has converted an old car seat into a gaming chair. Evelyn, our restaurant manager and beer sommelier, won a “Saftey beer package” in a competition – congratulations. Silvia from the spa does a home workout and then sweats in the in-house infrared cabin – wellness at home. Franzi, my colleague in marketing, is tinkering and thinking about a social media campaign for the future and Florian, our managing director, is alone in the Dachsteinkönig with mascot Godei and is up to mischief. Everyone is doing something. I get the yoga mat, whistle for the water bottle and the music and start, 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1… off. 20 minutes of legs and back and a bit of stretching. “Good job!”, I say to myself and sit down at the laptop to write to you. Everything will be fine! It’s a difficult situation for all of us. Many of you are at home with the children and they demand full attention and a non-stop programme. Some are alone and have no one at all to talk to or argue with. Others are afraid of the unknown. We have to stay strong now. All of us! Many things will be different in the future. But everything will be fine! I am convinced of that. In the present we have been given a great gift: Time! Time that fathers and mothers can spend with their children – even if it is exhausting. Time for ourselves to think about what we want to change in our lives. Time to read the book or write it. Time to talk extensively on the phone with friends and relatives. Time to get fitter. Time to simply enjoy being. Stay safe! Stay human! Stay home! Your Stefanie #flattenthecurve