Month 6: Life has thrown us a bit of a curveball and we’re back to re-adjusting and learning how to live by the minute. Pandemics are funny like that. Pandemics are also proving to show me how my loved ones react in circumstances and I am so proud to say that my family is strong. My kids are beyond adaptable and my parents and sister are proving to show their admirable strength as we navigate some choppy waters.
“The same boiling water that softens the potato, hardens the egg.”
I have no clue who wrote that, but I get it, and our world’s current situation is now at a point that is making or breaking people. This pandemic is extremely tough, and I recognize how it can bring out those not-so-glorious-personality-traits that we all try and hide behind our better ones. I know that my reactions are a little… let’s say…. over the top. And I know my family and friends will attest to that 😉 BUT, my brain is on constant overload with those 500 computer tabs open because I have 5 little humans who come before me and my priority lays with them. We’ve entered the reality of us all going back to school and work and our bubbles have completely popped. Every runny nose has become a “Salem Witch Hunt” and parents are being forced to take, on average, 7 days off work as they await Covid test results because there’s no such thing as a common cold at this moment.
Parenting is extra tough right now. And I’m sending you a massive virtual hug because I get it.
Parents- I know it’s impossible to get an alternate diagnosis without a negative Covid test and I know how long the waits are for these tests. I know that a number of you have to take unpaid days off work and even if you haven’t had this job terribly long, I know how hard it is to take that financial hit. And schooling and daycare? Damn. I feel that. I see your struggle to figure out if you should just do the online education but also realize that you need to get back to work and try your best to navigate all the assignments coming in. Your heads are popping off and I get that. And I see the ones out there who are dealing with positive Covid tests, too. I see how scary that must feel and how frightening it must be to constantly be checking on your loved ones and self-monitoring yourself for new or worsening symptoms. And the contact tracing? Whoa. Trying to rack your brain to think back to every single human you may have seen and potentially infected? I validate that guilt you must feel but please know that I am not judging you. I know you need love and support right now more than ever and I totally see the fear in your eyes and actions as you try and figure it out. I see how society is judgmental and nasty because of their own fear and anger towards their lives being turned upside down. But it’s not your fault. Ignore these people and focus on your family. You’re doing the right thing.
This pandemic has changed a lot. Mental health is absolutely on the decline because lives are being turned upside down and nothing, and I really mean NOTHING, is as it used to be. I can’t watch a TV show or movie without getting squeamish when I see people get too close to a stranger and that is seriously messed up. Inclusivity has been stripped away from us, as we had to make some big decisions when it came to forming our social bubbles and feelings have been hurt all over the place. And we need closeness now more than ever. We’re in Month 6. That means we’ve been adjusting and re-adjusting for about 25 weeks and we go from lockdowns to re-opening to more restrictions and not everyone’s brains are equipped for this inconsistency. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- we need to practice more empathy and compassion to get us through the rest of this. I don’t care if you think this pandemic is fake or all blown out of proportion, you need to be mindful that it has destroyed someone’s life and they’re hurting. I can’t stress this enough. And some of us just lack coping mechanisms and need to rely on others for strength when they can’t find it within themselves. I don’t think this makes someone weak, I think it makes them human. No one has the right to judge someone else and when they make a mistake, help them through it rather than villainize them. I know people who have lost their businesses to this virus and many of us have all taken financial losses. Maybe we need to ask ourselves after every conversation or interaction with someone is if we just made their day better or worse?
Month 6 is a big one. Don’t be a jerk.
- and yes, I will take my own advice 😉
Cincodemumyo 