For now, New York City is the city that sleeps.

5th Avenue, New York

Friends,

There is so much content out there on the obvious topic on people's minds. We've all read posts from Italy and other places affected by Covid-19. It's hard to sift through the media hype to find out what's real.

I'm not an alarmist, and I'm generally not one to panic. But I thought I'd share my real-time experience right now, to bring all this craziness down to a personal level. Exactly what's going to come off this keyboard, I'm not sure.

Two weeks ago, I was in denial that life could ever change here. A week ago, I started stocking up because a doctor friend of mine kept telling me to. And by the end of last week, I was transitioning to working from home.

But NONE of this prepared me for the visceral shock this weekend of witnessing the "city that never sleeps" go quiet.

And I mean truly quiet. Broadway shows were cancelled. Clubs and music venues closed. My yoga studio suspended my membership. My gym was next. And finally today, the hundreds of cafes, bars and restaurants that give this city its buzz shut their doors.

I'm now set up to work from home and I've spent the day on the phone, video and slack with my team - trying to find the balance between pushing forward with client deadlines, and showering them with empathy for the fact that this is as far from normal as any of us have ever felt.

For someone who thrives on hustle and bustle, fun and adventure, and on meeting new people and making connections, the sheer thought of being in my one bedroom apartment on my own for the next (insert months here), is something I'm not sure how to get my head around.

Yet, I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm healthy, I have a roof over my head, a job paying me a salary and, for the first time ever, lots of food in my fridge!

There are those who are going to be facing far tougher times. From the nurses and doctors on the front line, to those at supermarket check-outs helping us over-stock our cupboards; from the hospitality and gym staff who are out of work, to the buskers in the street who have no-one to play for.

Change is scary. But I still have a post-it on my fridge with a quote I scribbled down when I was looking for my first job here: "when nothing is certain, everything is possible".

And as I'm adapting to this change, I'm already starting to find new ways to create connection in a different way. I've started a WhatsApp group with a few people in my building so we can meet for socially-distanced wine on the rooftop. I'm spending more time on the phone with family and friends from around the world than I have in a long time. And I'm finding new ways to manage and lead, what is still a relatively new team for me at work.

It's for sure the weirdest of times, but we will be ok. It's a shake-up and a reset, and sometimes things need to break completely to rebuild even better and stronger than before.

So, as you and your families start preparing to transition to a new lifestyle for a while, I'll leave you with something I listened to yesterday: "How can we find a way to "grow through this", rather than just "get through this"?

Stay safe and stay healthy.