But the greatest challenge of all is attempting to lift your hand towards the computer screen and with energy you don’t have, turn on that little button so that it goes from amber to green, indicating that another office space (this one on computer) is waiting your attendance. 

Each week, workers around the Illawarra turn up at their office to work away the business hours.

But how many of us spend most of that time working on a computer, which has become the real office space, taking a break away from the desk occasionally by walking through the actual office and seeing real people? 

Recently Yahoo announced that it wasn’t letting employees work from home anymore, it just wasn’t working. Strange thing is, you often turn up to work, to work somewhere else (on a computer site in Sweden, a server in Los Angeles, or doing trades on Ebay).

The winner in all this office-within-an-office monotony? – coffee suppliers. In truth, coffee is the only antidote to the dreadful condition of being a zombie. If only the producers of The Walking Dead knew that, the storyline could be wrapped up very quickly.

How very fragile all this week-to-week business is was shown up very recently with the tornadic misbehaviour of weather in Kiama and the southern suburbs of the Illawarra.

One foot stepped wrong and suddenly turning up on Monday becomes a case of showing up to be counted as one of the people who are helping protect, preserve and repair the things we build together as a community.

The volunteers and the ceaseless support for people in need shows up something of our nature – we’re not office zombies after all, but colleagues working together. I feel better already. Time for coffee.

Aaron Kernaghan is the principal lawyer at Kernaghan & Associates Lawyers, a law firm specialising in criminal law advice and representation. www.kernaghanandassociates.com.au