I know blogging is important in the tech-rich era but it's not my way of communicating. I am a people's person. I love personal and physical interaction.

I love my job as a sales and training manager (with Adams and Russell Coffee Roastery) because it allows me to personally visit clients at their cafes, restaurants, hotels and mobile barista spots. I get to talk with them, help them with any issues, banter and laugh.

When I’m training, whether I’m training an individual or a group, I can demonstrate techniques, and hover over my students to ensure the correct procedures are being followed. I can taste their efforts and make suggestions or corrections. My job requires me to use my senses physically. To touch, feel, smell and taste.

So, with all that in mind, it was a terrible shock to find myself in lockdown, unable to do my work, to speak with my clients or to banter face to face.

At first, it was a struggle. My wife described me as a caged animal. Technology and I were not friends. There is only so much coffee I can grind to drink at home or give to the neighbours. But as the days turned into weeks, I started to look at the gift of time I had been handed. I have worked 70- 80 jour weeks for years. Any free time has been spent with my wife and children. I haven’t had time to develop hobbies outside of my career or to connect with family and friends all over the world.

Now, I am finding myself reflecting, re-evaluating life, remembering dreams for the future, using the slowed-down pace to make those calls and have those conversations, connecting with my children at an even deeper level than before, hunting for toilet roll and flour, and would you believe, embracing technology. Yep, I am learning. I still have a way to go but I’m becoming friends with it.

So, in this post, my first for years and hopefully not my last, I want to reconnect with you through this wonderful medium. My website designer is hard at work to clean it up a little and add some new ideas which were a result of the lockdown inspiration. Keep your eyes peeled and if you don’t want to miss out on the happenings, sign up to get updates by email.

Stin igia mas (to our health)

Andreas.