To help me adjust to life in the midst of the pandemic, I try to focus on the positive as I speak to others and stay informed of the latest details in the news about the virus.
First of all, we are all in this together. The novel coronavirus strikes indiscriminately. Not even the rich and famous are immune; this change can be heartening when inequalities and injustices in our country had soared along with the stock market.
All aspects of life in our world have been altered, from the environment to our personal hygiene. Everything has been impacted: family life, business, health care, technology, politics and the arts.
In terms of the environment, a benefit is that the pollution has diminished as a result of less travel and traffic and the closing of factories.
Technology provides us with tools to teach students and conduct business remotely and opens up the need for further development of cloud-based technology.
Telemedicine is expanding as its benefits are more widely recognized: an ability to reach more people, more quickly to diagnose and treat.
Regarding our work life, I hear stories every day of how people are doing better work at home without the distractions of colleagues and bosses in the workplace. (But it has added a stressor to parents’ lives, many of whom have to work from home while they homeschool their children.)
Some bosses even prefer that their teams work remotely, saying that this method puts workers on a more equal footing and enhances communication.
Meetings and conference calls are better appreciated because they meet the need for outside contact and connection.
Staying in one place adds time to our schedule, allowing some of us the chance to pursue our hobbies and creative projects. Without the possibility of dining out at restaurants, some relish the chance to cook healthier, homemade meals. A surge in sales of seeds and potting soil shows that people are gardening. Ms. W, for instance, is planting vegetables on her terrace and looks forward to eating what she grows. Others have more time to practice their musical instruments. Mr. S. ordered a new piano for his apartment. Some of us are studying a new language. Others find that working on a large jigsaw puzzle can be a kind of meditation, something they can do with or without help from others.
Some now have the chance to explore relationships with their families, especially beneficial for younger people who have lived apart and return to their family home for space, comfort, camaraderie.
Husbands have become more better teammates, pitching in to help their working wives in the home with their children.
Teachers are receiving appreciation by parents who have the chance to view their children’s school work online.
Pets are delighted to have us around and with their soothing ways, provide good company.
We have time to reach out to old friends and check in with older relatives who live far away.
Workers who continue to serve us are receiving more appreciation and delivery people are receiving bigger tips.
Artistic communities, theatre, music, libraries and our gyms have reached out to connect, offer support to keep us entertained and healthy.
Even big business is finding ways to help:
1. Apparel companies are making masks and other protective garments.
2. Big companies are producing ventilators and N95 respirators and a car-parts company is producing hygienic masks.
3. Tech companies are donating computing power to crunch data and search for a cure.
4. Distilleries and breweries are making hand sanitizer.
5. Leaders are learning about empathy, treating their employees in a human-centric way—
compensating for lost hours, covering sick pay, assisting with child care and avoiding layoffs.
6. Luxury hotels and cruise ships are becoming makeshift quarantine shelters.
At normal times, we rarely stop to think how we’re all part of the fabric of the human family. Now, more than ever, we have become aware that international coordination is vital to cope with the current apocalypse.
Dear Reader, I welcome your comments about how you have found positive ways to cope with our new reality.
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