The COVID-19 shutdown has been in full swing for two months now. Some things have become second nature and some, even more challenging as time goes on. Moreover, many things have changed, from the way we work to the way we learn, and even to the way we eat, bathe, work out, and sleep. News and magazine stories and articles are now all about managing the pandemic: how to cook, how to be safe and healthy, how to deal with stress, anxiety and insomnia. Zoom has become more than a word we use to describe fast movement. Most people have used this platform to host and attend meetings, trainings, and even workouts.
We don't go to restaurants except to pick up food we ordered online. Grubhub has become a household name. Grocery stores are using online ordering and curbside pickup. Physicians are checking individuals at the door to ensure they do not have a fever and have not been exposed to the virus before they are seen, by appointment only. Routine checkups are being postponed or canceled. Even veterinarians are doing curbside, picking up your pet at the door and returning him/her to you after the exam/shots. Dentists are postponing non-emergency appointments. Visiting retail stores is risky, and stores that do not sell essentials are closed. Businesses, unless selling or servicing essential items, are allowing staff to work remotely or staff are being laid off, some temporarily, some permanently; as a result, unemployment is increasing. Malls and plazas and even office parks are a ghost town. Movie theaters and gyms are closed. Places of worship are closed. Schools are closed and families are doing at-home instruction. Activities are non-existent unless via Zoom. Sports are not happening, both school and pro.
Bottom line, our entire world is completely changed and different from the way it was just two months ago. This blog, which I started in late January to help other writers, has become more about the coronavirus than writing or editing. Personally, with so many other things going on with me personally these days, teaching is very exhausting. I praise instructors and understand the difficulty of teaching young minds, tackling their need for activity and occasional (or frequent) boredom.
I started this blog today not knowing about which to write. Part of me is burned out because I have had to teach writing a few times to my kids recently, and they are not fans. How can I have kids who don't share my one talent on which I rely? I don't know. But that's another story for a different day.
I would like to focus on asking my readers what has NOT changed for them during this unusual, unnerving and disturbing time in our lives. What is the same, both negative and positive? I'd like to hear more than "I still love my family". If you wish, please discuss what has not changed in terms of your personal feelings, but better, what routines, practices or activities have not changed for you? Why? Have they changed despite continuing in the same way, and why?
I always ask for feedback and discussion and sadly never receive it. So I will propose an incentive this time: the first three people to reply to this post with answers to the question in the previous paragraph will receive one free editing session for anything of their choice up to 350 words (typically one page), including a letter, resume, article, blog, report, fact sheet, or anything else.
Enjoy the photo below from summer 2016 I took in Maine. It kind of reflects the grey yet hopeful mood we are in.
I hope to hear from you soon! Thanks! I hope you and yours are well.
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