Pandemic-Getting a Bead on Things

I wrote this piece several weeks ago but never got around to publishing it. With the added conclusion of yesterday’s announcement from the CDC, it seems more appropriate to do so now. 

 Initially, when this Pandemic was new and everyone was just inundated with trying to get a grip on what it really was, how dangerous it actually was, how long it was going to be in our lives, how disruptive it was likely to be, and what measures we could take to do something to protect ourselves,

we were seeing terrible images on television of people dying and their bodies being housed in trailers; healthcare workers being put in danger due to inadequate protective equipment;

hospitals and cities being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of infected people---more and more every day!

 Now, many months later, whatever we thought it was or was going to be, it became more persistent and insidious than that---and far more difficult to do away with. 

And it was obvious that we were ALL in this for the long-term, whether we liked it or not. 

It also seemed very clear to me that positive outcomes were more dependent on our behavior---responsible, caring for each other behavior---than anything else. 

As schools and restaurants re-opened, and some people chose to forget social distancing and mask-wearing, we saw spikes in infection rates.

And often, the people bearing the brunt of these irresponsible decisions were the frontline healthcare workers---Emergency Workers, Ambulance Workers, all levels of hospital personnel who provided care for these individuals; as well as unsuspecting community contacts who could have been unwitting victims of rash decisions.

So, I began talking to people, just trying to get a more solid bead on the temperature in the world of work---how people felt with the Novel Coronavirus that was no longer so novel but had become a serious hanger-on. 

What I heard most consistently, and not surprisingly, was that people were tired, frustrated, feeling stagnated. 

But at the same time, these people described themselves as resilient, capable, open-hearted, positive about things, relationship-oriented, creative, deep thinker, caring, fun, hopeful, seek to understand others.

So, while we were all still mired in the rather nasty Coronavirus soup, and people were fearful for their health and that of their families, fearful of losing their jobs or having reduced income or limited prospects, and this situation was definitely harming them---we shouldn’t count them out yet!! 

There was more gas in their tanks! 

One of the most universal and most hopeful comments I heard was that they missed PEOPLE---COMMUNITY, and were seeking real connections wherever they could find them. Zoom was a poor substitute, but they’d gladly take it until real-life returned as an option.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, since social distancing may be good for survival, but it’s hell on thriving. 

And yet, throughout this whole mess, people managed to figure it out over rooftops and across alleys, through windows, and around courtyards, with singing and music, and then---OMG---via the Internet through ZOOM concerts with musicians from all over the world playing compositions in unison—separate/together.

Or watching a group dance together—apart. We are an incredibly creative species and we can choose to fill our spirits in all kinds of ways. And we have and did! 

Check out these examples:

·     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqWQCWc_zCc - True Colors, Camden Voices - Virtual Choir - "It is 28 individual videos, submitted from all over the world, combined into one- a truly international collaboration that shows the power of music in our lives."

·      https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/3/13/21179293/coronavirus-italy-covid19-music-balconies-sing - Italy---residents singing together from multiple apartment balconies--scroll down to 2nd video.

·     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dwyd2XQNyg - Pair play tennis between rooftops during coronavirus lockdown in Italy

·     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9qiY4C-urM - Singers from Chicago Children's Choir's Voice of Chicago ensemble come together virtually in this video compilation of "Let's Dance"

The people I’ve talked with spoke about community not just in the sense of how creative people and groups have come together during this very difficult time and fashioned some awesome events to remind us of the importance of experiencing uplifting things. 

They spoke about having learned, during this time, of the value of community to them, something they hadn’t necessarily noted in the depth they now saw it. 

While neither preferred nor requested, this more solitary time seemed to have afforded them some measure of reward. 

When I asked them what they saw for their future, most saw reconnecting to loved ones---especially if they had been separated due to the Pandemic---and friends as a priority. 

After that, they all felt some positive change afoot.  

Perhaps they wanted to continue doing what they’d been doing, just with a different attitude---more values-focused, more community-enhanced.

Perhaps they wanted to find ways to engage their creativity more wholly in their work and their life. 

Perhaps they were re-evaluating their priorities and re-ordering what they chose to focus on for their next few acts---matching actions with values and beliefs more directly.

People that I’ve talked with who have been working in healthcare and education, seem to be the most tired, the most frustrated, the readiest for HUGE changes. 

The healthcare workers, especially those on the front lines, have been under enormous pressure for over 14 months now and many of them are just DONE!

The educators had a significant change to endure in March 2020 when everything closed down abruptly and they were either laid off or had to figure out how to teach their classes in a different format overnight with very little preparation or support (in general).

Now that schools are gradually opening up again---many already have, there is real and/or perceived danger in face-to-face education---and enormous pressure, discussion, and controversy around this issue. 

Parents, teachers, and administrators as well as Politicians do not all want the same things. 

Students need education; teachers want to teach; everyone wants all to be safe, but not everyone defines safety in the same way. These are continuing to be hard and complicated times.

Many healthcare workers have either already left the workforce or will be doing so soon. 

Many teachers/faculty members are in the process of making the same decisions. 

Both of these professional groups are essential to the ongoing benefit of our economy and our country.

And, as we’ve all heard, women in general, have been disproportionately disadvantaged as they’ve been removed from the workforce as a result of the proliferation of hybrid education models, changing education models based on Covid spikes in various communities, fairly universal lack of childcare, and an economic downturn that continues to put families at risk.

Even so, many of the people I’ve spoken with have been incredibly resilient for this past year---in the face of frightening disruption in the fabric of society, a sense of pervasive fear in the unknown and the unknowable, and the staggering reality of over a half a million of our friends, family and fellow citizens who have died as a result of the Pandemic.

People are and have been resilient, but they’re also tired of having to be. There’s a strong longing for rest, comfort, soothing, ordinariness—in whatever words they describe it. Sitting in the sun and contemplating the grass growing.

Feeling safe. Feeling family nearby. Cherishing the simple joy in that.

Having a sense of abundance---not necessarily related to money, but just a feeling that things are working out---it’s going to be OK---there’s enough.

It’s been a hard year but we’re still here and life is moving on.

And now we have, what we’ve all been hoping for, several VACCINES! We have protection, right? 

Thousands of people died of Small Pox until a vaccine was developed in the late 1700s. Because of this, the disease was considered to be completely eradicated from the earth in 1980. People died and/or were paralyzed by the Poliovirus until a vaccine was developed in 1955. Polio was eliminated from the United States in 1979 and from the Western Hemisphere in 1991. Vaccines work! There’s REAL hope for us with our current nemesis the Covid-19 virus. Fear of the unknown and false information are the enemies now, but the status quo is a danger we know and cannot live or thrive with. 

The road ahead is not without surprises—what road is?

The people I’ve spoken with are ready to resume more normal lives, however they envision those lives for themselves. The transition to that reality may be bumpy---most transitions are. But the result will be more than worth it. 

And yesterday, the CDC proclaimed that people who are fully vaccinated “can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance”.

However, the CDC still advised that people exercise caution and sound judgment as we re-enter the world.

Nevertheless-----THIS IS GREAT NEWS AND A VERY HOPEFUL, BEAUTIFUL, SUNNY NEW DAY!!!!!

#healthcare #nurses #teachers #Vaccines #CDC #Pandemic #resiliency #community