Covid-19

Covid-19 can be seen as a bad word. Lots of people are easily and rightfully triggered by it. 

Covid-19 changed the entirety of 2020. 

Right around Early March, the very weekend after we celebrated Aleena turning 1 with 25-30 loved ones at our house, we learned we needed to be now social distancing and perhaps wearing masks to keep our selves and others safe. 

It felt really do-able because the leaders kept repeating it was to be for 14 days in hopes to slow down / diminish this awful, nasty virus that was coming out of left field and spreading like wildfire. 

We moved into April with the same rules and then May ...and then June ...and now… July. 

It’s taken a toll on so many people in so many different ways. 

Some people are left without jobs, others are processing the death of a loved one, while many are in fear day-to-day working in essential jobs. 

There’s a small percentage of people who are blessed to not be directly affected by this pandemic and they are counting their blessings by staying optimistic and seeing the ‘good’ that came from this awful situation (for them personally). 

I once was against saying “there is good”, as I do see the daily struggle for many people (working in a nursing home) I see the direct affect to staff members and residents and both families of. 

However, I am open minded enough that I do see what the people who are not directly affected mean and intend when they say they can see the good. 

It’s forced many people to stay home and has given hundreds of people the opportunity to work from home in order to keep safe. 

This has given these people more time with their loved ones, less stress or anxiety about catching the virus, and having the blessing to say that they are ‘benefiting’ as opposed to suffering from the situation.

I have witnessed many things, so I am still coming from the percentage of people who are more so affected by this pandemic.

A few things that come to mind are loss of special, celebratory events and experiences just robbed.

• The birth of a new baby (first time parents, no longer allowed to have Mom come, just husband in delivery room, no photographer allowed...experiences robbed)
• Baby shower experience
• Visits to the OB during first pregnancy limited to just self, no spouse alloweD
• Loved ones who worked hard to travel and use their vacation time suddenly left with no options other than staying at home
• No travel allowed, taking away the option to fly overseas to see a spouse who has been away since January
• Daily anxiety and stress caused by having to work in the health care field (essential and terrified)
• People with depression who coped by going out/seeing friends suddenly without a choice told to stay away and stay home for safety and wellbeing
• Families with sensitive immune system / immune compromised loved ones having to be more strict than ever to ensure safety
• Weddings postponed after months / year of planning and looking forward to (time and finances and emotions invested…)
• Friendships altered by seeing who is and isn’t serious about following strict rules… rude reality awakening but it is what it is
• Small kids being born during pandemic to a life that was so unexpected / not able to meet even family for safety and health reasons
• Spending more money on more clothing / products (shampoo / bleach / detergent) because essential working life is causing strict showering daily / not able to re-use uniform or pants
• Spending more on grocery delivery services in fear of catching virus at grocery store
• The economy all together with places having to close down
• Businesses that had to permanently close down because they couldn’t survive with the shut down
• Photographer friends who are losing business and having to close down their personal sites and related things due to not being able to afford to keep it running

And I am SURE there are a ton more, I just am going off the top of my head.

It’s a scary and unknowing time. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. It’s emotional. There are so many different feelings involved. It’s even more worrisome that other countries and states are reporting close to 0 (new) cases as they continue to distance and stay home, and then my state, good ol’ Florida is on the rise, more than ever.

I wanted to document all this before I become too numb to what’s going on. I want to be able to look back on this one day and think ‘Thankfully we are all okay’ but the truth is, people are dying. People are hurting. Residents are suffering. 

Emotional wellbeing is so underrated and although I do understand and agree we need to keep a no-visitation policy for the safety of residents, it is DEPRESSING to see what they are going through since March 2020. They haven’t hugged their kids or grandchildren or siblings since March. The lack of human touch can cause depression. It can cause anxiety. And some residents do not have the capacity to understand why we are under such strict rules. 

We are so lucky in my place of work that we have had 0 residents test positive for Covid. Obviously following the rules is working. If anyone were to get a positive test, it would be from an employee bringing it to them, because they themselves are not going out anywhere.

My final words on this is to urge anyone who is not taking this pandemic seriously, because they are fortunate enough to not ‘have to’, please be mindful. 

So many others are suffering, scared and worried and when we all come together and follow the few small simple rules, it can reduce this spread astronomically. 

Please care about your fellow neighbor and friend. Don’t be the person who in 20 years looks back on this and is the one who ‘didn’t care and lived life like normal’ that is NOT something to be proud of. 

I always promote to take care of yourself and be ‘selfish’ in that way, but when it comes to a global pandemic, this is NOT the time to only think of self or be selfish. This is the time we come together and work towards the same goal.

Love to all, prayers to anyone who needs, and just continue to spread light and positivity (not covid) to everyone you encounter. You do not know what others are battling. You do not know what your good choices could do for someone else.

-S