So much has changed in a year! Yet, it also seems like March 2020 was just last month. How can that be?! Life is a paradox. A year ago when we were told that it could be at least a year, maybe a year and a half, before we had a vaccine for covid-19 and life could get back to "normal." It didn't really compute. I was almost 100% positive that the drastic measures we were all taking by hunkering down in our houses, closing the world, and isolating ourselves from all other human beings would most definitely bring a much sooner end to this virus.
The initial quarantine and shut down was scary, unnerving, unknown, and indefinite. There was an invisible enemy lurking about outside our houses and we didn't know enough about it. This enemy upended the lives of everyone in the entire world. We all became used to new normals...wearing face masks, standing 6 feet apart, not shaking hands, not socializing with friends, not eating out or going to movies. We were in collective shock. And those are the people that had it easy. We didn't even get the virus, nor did any of our immediate or extended family members. A few friends got it, but recovered quickly. But so many others didn't. It brought devastation to millions of families with (as of now) over 550,000 deaths in the US.
But oddly enough, it also brought us closer. We spent lots of time talking, either on zoom, on the phone, or FaceTime. We got to really take time for people and give them our full attention because...what else was there to do? We had time for creativity, more reading, rest, spending time out in nature, games, and binge watching Netflix. We enjoyed time together, yet we also knew when to each go to our own rooms if we needed to be alone. It definitely tested relationships, for good and bad.
I felt horrible for kids and grandparents during this entire season. Kids, especially teens, desperately need time with their friends. I saw and felt the loss of this and it made me so sad. Also, the loss of time in school and learning. The kids finished the 2020/2021 school year at home with online learning. Which...to be honest, was not a great experience. No education system was ready for something of this magnitude. To overhaul how you teach on the fly is an enormous task for any organization to make. Sadly, many kids suffered the loss of much learning time. I imagine many grandparents felt so isolated and lonely. They were in the most vulnerable age category. This virus seemed to have a preference for the old and overweight.
So many lost jobs. The number is obscenely high. It will take years for many families and for the economy to recover. However, in the midst of this, I was able to find a job (shockingly) and even one that I enjoyed at that! Amazingly, UCCS allowed their freshman to come live on campus at the start of the school year. Bennett's first year of college was a resounding success. He made incredible friends and memories. Even though he lost so many rights of passage of his senior year, it wasn't all bad. Gavin has been at NDSU now for 6 semesters....3 semesters of in person classes and 3 semesters of on-line only classes. Chloe had a hybrid system since Fall 2020 where she went in person 2 days a week and online 3 days a week. All the kids are going to LOVE going back to in person learning. You can't recreate the energy of a class on line. The teachers and students need that time together.
Thankfully, Chuck's job stayed in tact the entire time, even though he just started at a new company the month before the world shut down. He went to NJ (where his job is) when he got hired in February and hasn't been back since. He's definitely looking forward to getting back to the office and traveling more frequently. We realize we are the lucky ones, not losing our source of income, still being able to afford our mortgage, our groceries. We definitely found ways to help those who weren't as fortunate.
As of now, President Biden say every US adult will be able to get a vaccine by May 1st. I can't wait! We've already re-planned last year's vacation to San Diego that we had to cancel. Bennett and I have re-planned his senior trip for 2022 that we had to cancel (even though he'll be a college sophomore). I think having something to look forward to is the most wonderful thing of all. For the past year, everything ahead of us just looked bleak. There was nothing to look forward to, no vacation, no last minute getaway, no work trips. It was just an open calendar of nothingness. There is much to be learned from this revelation, I'm just not ready to unpack that quite yet.
In the end...we made it through to the other side. We collectively kept putting one foot in front of the other every day. One day at a time. So much good of humanity shone through. We all learned so much about ourselves. Was it good or was it bad? Only time will tell. Maybe it was both and we can learn to be okay with holding the tension between the two.
