Living in the midst of COVID19
I've read various sources that suggest writing about our experiences during this coronavirus. So, here goes...
It's been about two weeks since all of this went down. I was on spring break when the first round of university closures started, and they've been continuing since then. My college friends live all over the country- and world, even- and we've been keeping in touch via a facebook messenger group chat; it's comforting knowing how we're all faring through this. Michigan and Oregon, not to mention California and New York, have mandated 24-hour stay home policies, with the exceptions of needing supplies. I suspect Kentucky will not be far behind...
Work is, um....quiet. Most everyone is working from home at this point, but I'm here trying to be as helpful as possible. But there are no students walking in asking for help. No copies to run off. No hotels, flights, or rental cars to book for field trips or conferences. No make-up tests to administer. No field vehicle reservations to manage. No Scantron sheets and copy paper to stock up on. There's still some ordering of supplies, but not much. I was telling someone the other day that it's quieter now than during summer, because at least there's more than half a dozen people around during the summer. My poor faculty have had to, in some instances, completely reinvent the wheel in how they'll continue the rest of the semester online, and I have been nothing short of inspired by their ingenuity. My heart, of course, goes out to the students dealing with all of this, too. For many students, the successful completion of a semester is a stepping stone in getting them closer to graduation, and there are a lot of unknowns right now as the rules and order of operations are literally being made up as we go. Things are changing, sometimes within hours, and have been changing for the last two weeks.
It's surreal driving home and seeing mostly-empty parking lots at restaurants and fast food places. I went grocery shopping last Monday evening and it was like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie: so many empty shelves.
My days consist of going to work and then coming home, which could definitely be worse. Justin and I have been playing a lot of games and watching Netflix (we're currently on season 4 of The Blacklist). I do miss going out. I told Justin over the weekend, "I just want to go shopping! Not even to buy anything, but just to be out and looking at things." I think every restaurant from Berea to Richmond is going to have an hours-long wait when all of this is over. I joke that one of the first things I'm going to do after COVID-19 is get a haircut, and possibly a pedicure.
I've been praying for peace, because, let's face it, we've been thrown into something totally unfamiliar, taking it one day at a time because of how quickly the situation can change. Sometimes, I do worry about Justin getting exposed because of his asthma, but I am so, so thankful he works from home and is healthy. When I'm tempted to worry, I try to leave it with Jesus. He knows. He knew when all of this was going to happen and how we would be affected.
One last story: This morning, I was getting ready for work, making coffee and getting my breakfast and lunch put together. I took in the piles of dirty dishes all over the kitchen. Normally, this would stress me out. Instead of getting stressed, though, I stopped, and thought to myself: "These are a sign that we are having some nice meals together and being taken care of. My family is being taken care of." Let that be a challenge for you today, and every day during all this craziness: change your perspective. It may not help in the grand scheme of things, but it will help in the moment, which just might be that little bit of strength you need to make it through the day.
I'll share some more thoughts as the days and weeks progress. Stay safe, everyone. And keep washing those hands!!
It's been about two weeks since all of this went down. I was on spring break when the first round of university closures started, and they've been continuing since then. My college friends live all over the country- and world, even- and we've been keeping in touch via a facebook messenger group chat; it's comforting knowing how we're all faring through this. Michigan and Oregon, not to mention California and New York, have mandated 24-hour stay home policies, with the exceptions of needing supplies. I suspect Kentucky will not be far behind...
Work is, um....quiet. Most everyone is working from home at this point, but I'm here trying to be as helpful as possible. But there are no students walking in asking for help. No copies to run off. No hotels, flights, or rental cars to book for field trips or conferences. No make-up tests to administer. No field vehicle reservations to manage. No Scantron sheets and copy paper to stock up on. There's still some ordering of supplies, but not much. I was telling someone the other day that it's quieter now than during summer, because at least there's more than half a dozen people around during the summer. My poor faculty have had to, in some instances, completely reinvent the wheel in how they'll continue the rest of the semester online, and I have been nothing short of inspired by their ingenuity. My heart, of course, goes out to the students dealing with all of this, too. For many students, the successful completion of a semester is a stepping stone in getting them closer to graduation, and there are a lot of unknowns right now as the rules and order of operations are literally being made up as we go. Things are changing, sometimes within hours, and have been changing for the last two weeks.
It's surreal driving home and seeing mostly-empty parking lots at restaurants and fast food places. I went grocery shopping last Monday evening and it was like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie: so many empty shelves.
My days consist of going to work and then coming home, which could definitely be worse. Justin and I have been playing a lot of games and watching Netflix (we're currently on season 4 of The Blacklist). I do miss going out. I told Justin over the weekend, "I just want to go shopping! Not even to buy anything, but just to be out and looking at things." I think every restaurant from Berea to Richmond is going to have an hours-long wait when all of this is over. I joke that one of the first things I'm going to do after COVID-19 is get a haircut, and possibly a pedicure.
I've been praying for peace, because, let's face it, we've been thrown into something totally unfamiliar, taking it one day at a time because of how quickly the situation can change. Sometimes, I do worry about Justin getting exposed because of his asthma, but I am so, so thankful he works from home and is healthy. When I'm tempted to worry, I try to leave it with Jesus. He knows. He knew when all of this was going to happen and how we would be affected.
One last story: This morning, I was getting ready for work, making coffee and getting my breakfast and lunch put together. I took in the piles of dirty dishes all over the kitchen. Normally, this would stress me out. Instead of getting stressed, though, I stopped, and thought to myself: "These are a sign that we are having some nice meals together and being taken care of. My family is being taken care of." Let that be a challenge for you today, and every day during all this craziness: change your perspective. It may not help in the grand scheme of things, but it will help in the moment, which just might be that little bit of strength you need to make it through the day.
I'll share some more thoughts as the days and weeks progress. Stay safe, everyone. And keep washing those hands!!
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