Photo by Yohann LIBOT on Unsplash

The pandemic changed the game for everyone. If you told me two to ten years ago that I would spend my days at home, not seeing anyone for weeks on end, I would laugh in your face and say, “No way, that’s not me.” 

My battery charges around other people. To give you perspective, my pre-pandemic social life looked a mix of the following:

• Attend classes, lectures, workshops, meetings, events, and networking sessions surrounded by friends, colleagues, and classmates
• Lunch with different people every day
• Dinner with dorm-mates every night
• Walks with friends two or three evenings per week
• Quarterly travel out of town to visit friends and family
• Weekly happy hours
• At least one day-time and two night-time social outings per weekend

So, in 2020, to have stayed home for as long as I did with no vaccine yet in sight reflects the astounding human capacity to adapt.

I rose to the occasion, and I give myself credit. I made a difference in the world by not leaving the house. Champion status!  

It was truly the least I could do. 

I had it easy. Alongside the love and company of my husband, I ordered groceries online. I cooked. I landed a job and logged into work from home. My friends and family, safe in their bubbles, were only a phone call away. 

Despite all this privilege, I noticed stress lines around my eyes and mouth. At the end of every day, I looked like I had just hopped off a transpacific flight. My body reflected my mind which wondered, is this what the end of the world feels like? 

Meanwhile, everyday heroes showed up daily to keep the world from complete collapse: grocery store employees, food delivery workers, truck drivers, boots-on-the-ground supply chain operators, and more.  

Healthcare workers suited up from head to toe, risking their own lives to treat patients plagued by COVID-19. I imagine the trauma of those peak environments to resemble scenes from a war-time movie. 

These souls deserve love, money, and gratitude. So, if you know anyone in the line of duty in the last year and a half, don’t forget to show them some love. 

Thanks for reading!