When I think back to quarantine, this is what I hope to remember
June 5, 2020 No Comments
Category: Home Life, Motherhood, PersonalTags: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Parenting, motherhood
What a time in history to be alive.
COVID-19, a highly contagious and deadly virus, took over the world and shattered the lives of billions.
Innocent people died. The economy tanked. Businesses shut down. Professionals became unemployed. Schools closed. People around the world of all ages, races and classes of life were quarantined to their homes for weeks and weeks on end. No exceptions.
This is unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. And like others, our family has spent the last ten weeks following the “rules” of social distancing and hankering down at home to do our part to contain this vicious virus.
While no one would ever call these conditions ideal, I am hoping to weave this experience into something positive. To see the light in these circumstances and capture the beauty beneath the sadness and devastation that the world around us is facing.
*I point out the items below not to ignore or diminish the hardship endured by many but rather to bring light and positivity to a situation that can truly weigh you down. This has been extremely hard on all of us but perhaps, you too, have experienced some good.
What I hope to remember about quarantine is that my children flourished in front of my eyes.
Chloe, who’s now 4, blossomed into an independent, inquisitive little girl.
She went from being a bit bashful and “slow to warm up” to slowly starting conversations with neighbors and teachers and family on Zoom. Having always preferred small play gatherings or playing by herself, Chloe has loved her time at home hanging in her pjs, playing for hours on end and letting her imagination go wild.
Lots of artwork during quarantine!
She’s developed cities, published art works, created handmade cards and jewelry, learned to write her name, cooked her little heart out and mastered puzzle after puzzle. It’s been such a joy in my day to watch her grow into this amazing young girl.
Don’t get me wrong, Chloe’s had her fair share of stubborn and punishable moments (like drawing on our lampshades and locking me in her bedroom, ahem!) but perhaps we can attribute the later to artistic expression?! Ugh. Back to the positive stuff right?
Jack, my big, delicious man…
Jack has literally grown into a full-fledged toddler. He turned one as quarantine was beginning and went from crawling around town to lifting himself up and walking around in a matter of months. Through this darkness, he’s remained a constant beacon of happiness. His smile brightens any room and his positive disposition is contagious. I will never forget how he laughed his head off as he learned he could close his bedroom door on me or how he beamed with excitement during every bath session with his sis.
What I hope to remember about quarantine is that I navigated my business through tough times – despite feeling initially lost and defeated
When businesses started to shut down, my own social media marketing business took an immediate hit. I lost my biggest client right away and another just two days later. I had worked with both of these clients for years, and grown their businesses through steady hard work. In a mater of moments, half of my work and paycheck was taken away – for circumstances that were 100% out of my control. Even though I knew it wasn’t anything I did, it still felt like a total blow to my ego and identity.
But with this loss, I realized that I had an opportunity to grow. To strengthen my skills as a marketer, shift my business plan and tweak my offerings to adapt to the needs of businesses right now. Social media is no longer something businesses could brush off; social media is what can keep businesses alive. I just needed to prove it.
So I created new marketing materials, updated my case studies and pitch deck, and tapped into my network. In a matter of weeks, I landed a new full-time client, a few consulting gigs, and actually turned down work because it wasn’t the right fit. It’s hard for me to accept change (I’m a routine person, after all!) but quarantine forced me get out of my comfort zone, rethink my business plan and improve my craft.
Coming out of this, I have a much clearer direction for my business.
What I hope to remember above all else in quarantine is that this virus made us all value the people – not the things – in our lives.
As people all around the world spent months home alone it became clear what was missing most of all: human connections.
From getting hugs and kisses from family members to enjoying dinner dates with friends, or simple interactions with coworkers, it’s never been more obvious to me that people are the key to happiness. I know personally that it was painfully hard at the beginning for me to only see my parents through our windows and not be able to embrace them with a hug.
But the world got creative and figured out how to still come together – perhaps even more so than ever before – with regular Zoom calls, FaceTime, birthday drive-bys, and good ole fashioned phone calls. I’ve never spoken to my oldest friends with so much regularity or enjoyed more home cooked meals and memorable moments at home with my family.
Let’s be honest, so much time at home didn’t always bring out the best in us (hello meltdowns and pointless arguments!) but I know that I won’t remember those in the years to come. Instead I will remember that I never valued my parents’ company more, the support and comfort of my friendships from afar and time spent with my family at home. We enjoyed the spring time on our deck playing in water, social distanced happy hours out front with our neighbors and walks around our neighborhood. Plus, I never got in so many cuddles with my Oscar, my dog.
Special call out to my mother-in-law who graciously moved in and helped make this time manageable with kids/working by cleaning, helping to care for the kids, doing laundry – all while sleeping on the couch. For 10 weeks she did this without a complaint. I am forever grateful for her selflessness.
While we are still far off from a “normal” world, my hope is that we all can try to see and appreciate the positives in our lives and to take these challenges and time at home as an opportunity to grow and appreciate all the little and big things in our lives. I know I do.
