Lean in.
How are you doing? No, really. How are you feeling during these uncertain times due to the Covid-19 pandemic? Before you begin, let me stop you; I don’t want to hear that you’re fine, good, alright or even maintaining. You know and I know that’s not true. So, I suppose, I’ll start:
These past couple of weeks have been…frightening. The first time I went outside, I was shocked to see so many people wearing masks and latex gloves. It put things into perspective and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t ready. Nor was I informed enough and that’s on me. I should watch the news more, but I’m adamant about controlling the information I consume. Despite having studied journalism at Penn State, I find the news to be draining. So, I don’t watch it. And I have been making an effort to reduce my time on social media for that reason, too.
The best words I can use to describe how I’ve been feeling is weary and uneasy. Every day is a new challenge and nothing is normal about this moment. That’s true for work, finances and activities, which these days is the occasional walk to the park.
The scary part is that nobody knows exactly how long this is going to last. I know one thing, I’d give anything for some social interaction like a happy hour. And I know, I know, in the grand scheme of things, things could be a lot worst for me. As a former server, my heart goes out to service industry workers everywhere.
I mean, just three weeks ago, I was on a resort in Dominican Republic celebrating my anniversary. And a week later, I learned that the country was closing it’s borders and temporarily closing resorts due to Covid-19. That means everyone who worked so hard to ensure I enjoyed my stay, might be out of work right now. I can’t even imagine and the thought of it breaks my heart.
That’s why I don’t want to hear a vague answer about how you’re doing and feeling. Now is not the time to be non-descriptive or save words for the sake of being polite. Right now, we are all in this together. This might be the closest we come to fully understanding each other’s emotions. It’s a trying time, yes, but there is beauty in the unity of it all.
In a world that can feel so divided, one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us is that there is no us or them. We are all — regardless of the continent, country and even city — one.
