I’ve been working from home for 7 years so my personal daily routine has not changed. I still get up every morning, take a shower, put on pants, sit at my workstation and meet with my teammates online. I take regular breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack breaks. What has changed is that my husband and grown daughter are at home so in one respect, I now have people to have “water cooler” conversations with, eat lunch with. “What did movie did you watch? Let me see the painting you worked on today.”
Several members of my immediate family have lost their jobs. The identical twin girls have been born in N. Carolina but we can’t go visit. My cousin’s wedding will not take place in May. A long-planned large family trip to Ireland is now postponed for another year. My birthday and Easter have come and gone without the usual fan-fare. But when this is over, 6 months, a year from now, we’ll go visit the twins and have a wedding. New jobs will be celebrated and we’ll finally go to Ireland. Life will go back to normal.
I hope that I will continue to have patience, although this has always been a skill I have to actively work on. I’ve spent more time talking on the phone with my extended family, checking in with cousins and uncles. I hope to continue this trend.
What has surprised me is how proud I am to be an Ohioan these days. I am surprised and delighted about how we, as a community of nearly 12 million souls, how we have pulled together to flatten the curve. As a collective, we will beat this and come out on the other side stronger.
Editor’s note: Kelly is a local writer. She has started a Facebook page. You can LIKE it here.
She is the writer that has provided to us a recurring story. You can read it here.
If you would like to share your experiences with the coronavirus, send via email to juliedaloiso@gmail.com.
