I have an odd sense of guilt relating to my pandemic experience. Guilt because so many people experienced incredible hardships: lost jobs, having wages and hours cut, the fear of having to provide daycare for their children who were no longer in a physical school environment.

My wages never stopped, my office never closed (aside from a two week period during the initial lockdown) - my routine stayed largely unchanged. I went to work, came home, went to sleep, woke up and did it all over again. The biggest positive of my experience was that it allowed me to remain involved in my 2 kids' lives and sports - I coached little league and attended every soccer practice.

On the flip side, I have friends whose lives changed considerably during the pandemic. Some moved their families to different locales given their remote work - Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nashville, South Carolina. Others cut out a 2-4 hour per day commute since they've begun WFH (working-from-home). I can't say I'm not a little bit jealous of those experiences, but compared with the alternative, I'm truly grateful. Grateful especially that the sense of normalcy allowed me to be present in other areas despite all that was occurring around us. 

I think that's all we can do in situations like this, focus on what's normal, relatable, consistent, so you can forge ahead.

-Anonymous Forge Ahead Brigade Member