Let’s acknowledge the astounding realities of 2020 up front.
We spent months and months (and months!) washing hands, social distancing and wearing masks. We learned Zoom and other video platforms so we could collaborate at work and stay connected to friends and family. Our kids were yanked from every vestige of normalcy they’d known, from friends to school to camps, experiencing a steady stream of frustration and loss in the process. Most of us tried our best not to hoard toilet paper.
And yet still, across the globe, COVID-19 is raging at levels not seen to date.
The final blow? This holiday season and the lack of ability to be with family and friends has been devastating for so many of us striving to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe.
A friend of mine sums of COVID fatigue like this: “Over the last nine months, every time I’ve been invited to do something, I’ve had to discern whether or not it’s ‘safe’ to do so. From now on, no matter how awesome the invitation, my answer is No. I simply cannot have that conversation with myself one more time!”
Her sentiments echo the rest of ours. We’re exhausted by the strain of it all. Bereft by the still-growing death toll. Beyond worried about the impact on our children. Too many have become economically destitute, without a social safety net to soften the blow of lost jobs and other economic impacts.
Despite all the adversity adjacent to the pandemic, there have been some familial upsides, and we have learned a lot (some more positive than others) about ourselves, our families and the larger world.
Here’s my top 10:
1. It’s not just kids who are resilient -- parents are resilient! From the start, parents made a monumental effort to stay apprised of the tsunami of information concerning the coronavirus, and we pivoted family life to adapt to its demands for safety. Oh, and we refashioned our homes into schoolhouses and work sites to boot.
2. Parents and partners got a close-up-and-personal, day-to-day look at the tremendous load of the emotional and household labor mothers bear -- often to the detriment of their careers. Some couples addressed those inequities.
3. During the initial months of the lockdown, families had the unprecedented opportunity to spend an outsized amount of private, quality bonding time together.
4. The murder of George Floyd in particular prefaced a cross-cultural, cross-racial uprising against systemic racism and its impact on socio-economic access and success. Black Lives Matters has escalated its mission unabatedly; it’s unclear how the majority (and governments) plan to contribute to righting these centuries-old wrongs.
5. We learned how critical having a tribe is; how important they are to our family’s emotional well-being and physical safety.
6. The enforced absence of elders, as well as friends and family most at risk for coronavirus, reawakened us to the immense value families and friends have in our lives. As soon as it’s safe, I plan to visit everyone!
7. Families got extremely creative once the weather warmed up -- reimaging every conceivable summer tradition -- from family vacations to summer camps to everyday play dates and sleepovers.
8. We got infinitely more tech-savvy -- whether we wanted to or not. Some of us even learned how to drive an RV (present company included!)
9. Parents and parental figures helped children weather the unending string of disappointments that the pandemic has wrought -- and taught them resilience in the process.
10. Then, just this month, the announcement of three promising and efficacious vaccines give us reason for hope and optimism. Seeing videos of the first vaccines being administered this week was incredible. An end-date for the pandemic is in sight -- albeit at a minimum 6-12 months down the road.
As we bring 2020 to its much anticipated close, let’s each pledge to take all we’ve learned and use it to propel us forward into the new year. When you consider all that has transpired and how we’ve survived and, in some cases, thrived, I’m confident that families the world over will make it through.
Best wishes for the holidays - stay safe.