It is very hard to describe how quickly everything changed, but I guess I don't really need to because it happened to all of us at the same time. Leading up to this, we had heard the news about COVID-19 and how it was spreading through Asia and Europe. I guess maybe I was naive to think it wouldn't get that bad here, that we would be better prepared and were not as vulnerable. It happened so quickly, at least that is how I feel. There were cases in D.C. and Washington, then BAM!
We got the notice from the schools that they would be closed for two weeks on a Thursday. By the following Monday morning, we were told that the public buildings in town were closing as well and that we could work from home. It was so surreal at the time, and I was rather excited to know I could be safe at home with my kids. I packed up a plastic tote and brought my "office" home with me. I set up a desk in our living room so I could be close to the kids. I even decorated it with some plants and a picture. I was prepared to sit at this desk for two weeks and then have life go back to normal.
Almost 3 weeks later, I rarely sit at the desk. Sitting in a chair all day was awful, so I had to move to our breakfast bar in the kitchen where I can stand and work. The cute little plant I put on the desk died (I think it actually got too much sun over there) and the picture keeps falling over. I used to think that working from home would be a gift, and I now see that it is not made for me. I am an extrovert, I NEED conversation, I talk way too much, so not having people to talk to has been so tough. Maybe that is why I feel the need to write all of this down, like I am still getting to tell my story to people. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to do my job from home, but I also know that I will appreciate walking into my office a heck of a lot more when all of this is over. I might even be on time a little more (don't hold me to that, Katie).
I think the strangest part is how much I took for granted before this. I think I went to the grocery store across the street from my job every day, sometimes twice a day. I never had to worry about having everything to make dinner, I would just run over before I went home and grab what I needed. Having to order groceries online and wait days to get them is quite an adjustment! Grabbing my morning coffee, going out to dinner, visiting with friends. Oh, I miss my friends! I have been having weekly coffee dates with a fried via the phone, certainly not the same. Last night, I Zoom chatted with 3 friends for almost 2 hours. It was wonderful and something I very much needed for my own self care. I have tried so hard to keep my family going every day that I completely overlooked myself in all of this.
I am anxious and scared of what is to come. Several new estimates say that infections will peak within the next two weeks. The thought of more people contacting this disease and possibly dying from it is something that never leaves my mind. The thought of someone I know and love getting it terrifies me to my core. I have asthma, so I absolutely have to keep myself safe. Exposure for me could mean death. That is a pretty harsh reality.
19 days into this and the one thing that keeps me smiling and gives me hope are all of the amazing things people are doing through this. People stepping up to help neighbors, online concerts from famous artists, entire cities cheering for healthcare staff at the change of shifts, teachers showing up at houses to help kids through the window, school staff parading through neighborhoods to show kids how much they miss them, everyday people sewing hundreds of face masks from their kitchen tables, restaurants donating meals to families, veterinarians treating pets in parking lots in the back of cars... I could go on and on. It's like someone sprinkled kindness glitter over the entire earth. And that is what gives me hope. Most humans will always do the right thing, and those humans are my humans. Keep on spreading love!
Be well my friends...