Coronavirus

I had big plans for this year. Coming back from winter break, I had tons of things to look forward to. This is my second to last semester of college, meaning I was planning on walking. I was getting ready to join the workforce. I had travel plans, like a family reunion in Ireland and a trip with my friends to Italy for the summer to celebrate the transition from student to professional. Of course, all of that has changed now. Going to graduation, going into the workforce, and traveling all entail endangering the ones I love. While I may not be in a high-risk category, many of my closest loved ones are. This pandemic has forced many changes and choices on everyone. The transition has been easy for no one. Regardless of the challenges of this new life, however, I can say I appreciate the time to reflect.

My first wave of reflection came about a week after school was supposed to go back. I was bored with staying in the house apart from a walk around the neighborhood from time to time. There was only so much of the four walls of my house that I could see without going crazy. During this state of delirium, I realized I needed to do something more productive with my time. Shortly thereafter I picked up hours at my local supermarket. I had worked there previously and knew most of the staff, but something about how everyone interacted was noticeably different. As you might imagine, most of them were worn out from weeks of hard work trying to keep essentials like toilet paper on the shelf and were just happy to have another set of hands. Behind this exhaustion was something more uplifting. There exists a drive to keep going. Among these people is the will of the human spirit to persevere. They get up in the morning and drive to this hard-minimum wage job, not because they want to, nor because it may be necessarily fulfilling, but because they are needed. There is a sense of togetherness and teamwork that no amount of intentional company culture building could ever achieve. I come into work because they come in, and I would not want to let them down. This feeling of letting people down is backed up in the data for supermarket sales. Cleaners, disinfectants, soup, milk, beans, grains, and stuffing have had sales increases from 270–380%. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, eggs, water, and meat have all seen sporadic shortages as workers struggle to keep things on the shelf (How the Coronavirus Crisis is Changing Supermarket Shopping, Supermarket News 2020). This struggle to keep up coupled with the negativity associated with running out on high-demand items has given rise to a sense of unity amongst the workforce I could not have foreseen. Weeks into this pandemic, this sense of family is one that I truly enjoy and will look fondly upon for many years to come.

My next major moment of reflection came two weeks after I went to work at the store. I had been taking precautions like wearing a mask and gloves long before it was required, but I could not shake the feeling that I was endangering my family. Even after I volunteered to get tested for COVID-19, it dawned on me that this would be going on for months and one test probably would not put my mind at ease. This unfortunate reality dawned on my parents as well. My mom, in particular, was happy to see me get out and about but was incredibly fearful of what could happen. She said, “I hate to see you cooped up in the house, and I feel bad that you can’t see your friends, but [I] am high risk, I want be around for you into the future.” Her sentiment is one that many can relate to. Many have older relatives they would love to pay a visit, but there are inherent risks. To this point, it is hard to know the difference between necessary precautions and overreacting. Because everyone is home, “it is really easy to sit in front of the news and think about the worst-case scenario. I’m already out of work, and perhaps planning around that has brought my mind into a bad place.” Recent data suggests that here fears are well-founded. In fact, in a recent graph from the CDC, the mortality rate for influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19 combined is up nearly 20%. While the trend is shown to be going down, mortality is still double what it was during the flu season.

This struggle between personal needs and the reality of the situation is one that needs careful balancing. I realized I needed to do more to make sure my parents felt safe in their home knowing I was working. So long as I can get tested through work, I’ll do it somewhat regularly. Every time I walk in the house, I make sure to disinfect, and I keep my physical contact with them to the absolute minimum. Above all, I am making sure they know I appreciate the sacrifices they are making during this time. Much like my family at work, they did not ask for this global catastrophe. The fact remains that we all need to work together to make it through. From the doctors and first responders on the front lines to the families kept inside, we all serve critical roles in ensuring we are better people on the other side. This crazy time has made me realize how important the people around me are to my life. Because of the realizations and personal epiphanies I have had, I have made a conscious effort to reconnect with those who have been a positive influence on my life. Letting people know you appreciate them can make us feel closer even when we are far apart. We may be alone, but we are together and through the strength of those we call friends and family I’m certain we can persevere.

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