The Impact of Covid

The energy of the world is so strange right now. We are two years into this Covid 19 pandemic and although we have in many ways adapted to this new way of living, it doesn't mean we've learned to like it.

Living with so many restrictions, cancellations, closures,  pressure to vaccinate, lost time with friends and family, adapted work-life, the list goes on...has been a lot. Our mental health has been so greatly affected by this bizarre time, not to mention our physical health, for those who have gotten sick. 

I can get completely lost in thought when I think about how much kids have missed out on. Whether its the socialization missed because of online studies, or the cancelled proms/dances, sports, clubs, field trips, year-end trips, etc...These are things our kids will never get back. There's no do-over for a missed prom or missed grade 9 trip. There's no do-over for a year missed of basketball or whatever else it might be. There are little kids, 2 years into their school career, who have no idea what school used to be like. Maybe it's better that way. They don't know what they're missing...but we do.

As restrictions start to lift, presumably because of the intense protesting across the country but largely focused in Ottawa, will life return to "normal" or will a new normal take its place? Will many continue to live in fear of this virus or will the majority embrace the return of our "freedoms"?

My hope for the world is that people find gratitude for the simple things in life, that have been made complicated by this virus. That dancing and gatherings return, that you don't have to ask permission to share an elevator ride and hugs are not feared. That my kids can use all corners of their school playground and not just the designated section, that school dances resume and that in general, less things are cancelled. That doors are reopened, celebrations are held and life feels some semblance of normal. I want to walk in any direction in the grocery store without getting dirty looks, hold doors open, shake hands, smile without a mask covering my face. I miss the human connection that Covid has robbed us of. 

Someday, this will be but a memory of inconvenience for some and for others, the memory of a lost loved one. Wherever you fit, this experience has changed you, whether you see it or not. Maybe you felt (feel) depressed, maybe you gained weight, maybe you actually loved the solitude and thrived...whatever it is, it's all ok. This is your journey. Your experience and for the majority, we have never experienced anything remotely close to this.

Cheers to brighter days ahead. Cheers to the day when this feels so far in the past that it's all but forgotten.