So many parts of who we are became redefined in a matter of moments. Who are you in this pandemic?
Cary Anne Fitzgerald, PDHP Parent/Community Outreach Coordinator
What did you first do when we were thrust into the pandemic? We found our schools were closed, whether our work was essential or non-essential, whether our jobs would even exist, what to do to sustain our businesses. We questioned whether our home is safe and well-stocked or if we are at ground zero due to exposures from the past few weeks or with our family members who are essential workers and if we are rationing items or over purchasing. We suddenly needed to find a routine, teach our kids while balancing work, add in activities to balance tech use, add in tech use to balance social contact. So many parts of who we are became redefined in a matter of moments. Who are you in this pandemic?
Some of us have met it with a gusto – thinking of all the things to do with the time given! Rearranging our spaces, phone calls to long lost friends, Zoom playdates and parties, getting back in shape, checking out that online course we long put off, reconnecting with a hobby long forgotten, meeting every “challenge” coming out of social media. Helping and healing as we go.
Some were cautious and introspective, maybe even fearful. Picking and choosing priorities, maybe forgetting to take care of themselves in the course of the day. Perhaps avoiding the onslaught of media and news and “checking out” into some quiet to process all that was happening. Maybe proceeding through the fear by blocking it out with denial. Going along like nothing has changed. Ruminating in the should have’s, would have’s and could have’s. Looking for the positives on which to anchor themselves.
Still some gravitating somewhere in between. Leaning into the stillness, catching up with a book, connecting socially in choices that are meaningful while being physically distant with community, helpers, family & friends. Arming themselves in gentle ways to disarm an invisible yet aggressive threat.
Where are we now? Three weeks in and are we still the same? Are we overwhelmed? Do we find ourselves stuck in a rut? Have we been excessive in our actions? What are we ok with? What can we let go of? There is more time we will be spending in and away, protecting and preventing for each other. There is still time to reflect on who we are in this pandemic, who we want to be and how to be that person. There are lessons to be learned, some heartbreakingly sad and some are the sparkling, silver linings in an otherwise gray cloud. Who will you be when this pandemic has ended?