Pandemic Reflections
The Side of Me That Doesn’t Want the Pandemic to End
There are several things I don’t want to let go of
I feel scared about the pandemic ending. That feels wrong to write, in light of all the loss, pain, and misery people have endured over the past year. My family and I are extremely lucky, fortunate, and privileged: Our kids go to school part-time, my parents and in-laws are vaccinated, and the husband and I can easily work from home. I’m in an industry that doesn’t qualify as “essential.”
My last professional outing was exactly a year ago: the Hot Pod Summit, where my fellow podcasters and I nervously giggled as we greeted each other with elbow bumps and then squeezed into a poorly ventilated room to hear a panel about ad tech. We’re so lucky we didn’t all get seriously sick. But remembering that day so vividly is a helpful point of reference: I can easily compare who I was then to who I am now, and then think forward to envision who I’ll be this time next year. Because despite all the inconveniences and worry, there are several things I don’t want to let go of when the pandemic is over. The term “self-care” doesn’t do much for me, but I suppose that’s how I’m putting this one-year-anniversary of the shutdown to use. I hope you get a chance to do so as well.
