A few weeks ago, I saw where Erika had posted about Shelly’s blog with 10 questions marking one year of the pandemic and I wanted to do the same, remembering how life was in 2020.
1 | WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE IN EARLY 2020?
In early 2020, life was normal: work, church, gym, all the normal activities. Then, for us,
on March 17, it all came to a halt. We were sent home from work and “Work from
Home” began the next morning. We stopped having in-person church and the gym
closed. Restaurants and groceries immediately went into Curbside pickup mode.
2 | WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHANGE?
Not being able to go anywhere – no more picking up my own groceries, no more
going out with friends, no more going to church. It was so surreal when everything
basically shut down. As an introvert, I did really REALLY enjoy being at home (I got a
lot of running and reading in) but after a while, not being able to pick out my own
groceries (because grocery pickup quality & service starting going down the toilet…)
started to get old. Eating out no longer existed but honestly, I didn’t mind that
because we all know food taste better when we are in our PJs 🙂
3 | WHAT WERE YOUR COPING MECHANISMS?
Reading and running I guess. I really didn’t have much problem so I didn’t need any
coping mechanisms. As far as missing being at church, it did help that we were live
streaming every service so we were still getting church.
4 | WHAT DID CONNECTION IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS LOOK LIKE?
I feel like the relationships are stronger. My grandmother lives across the street
so when I was working from home, I could go over to her house more often (I
usually went every day on my break time). I was also able to see her more in
the afternoon and evenings because I wasn’t going to the gym, or church, or
anywhere. My mom and I have always been really close so I didn’t think we
could get any closer, but it feels like we did. As far as friend relationships, I
believe we got closer too. Maybe it was because we checked on each other
more (4 out of 5 of us had Covid so we kept a check on each other’s progress).
We texted and called more because we weren’t seeing each other at church or
the gym.
5 | WHAT WILL YOU REMEMBER MOST?
How quiet everything was in the beginning! No one, except healthcare workers
(thankful for them!), were going anywhere, there wasn’t much traffic so the
roads around the house were quiet. Since I was working from home, I ate lunch
on the deck and it was so peaceful. Also, I will always remember the extra time I
was able to spend with my mom and grandmother.
6 | WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
first, staying safe and well, but, second, finding toilet paper and groceries. Y’all!!
We order (or sometimes shop in store) for toilet paper from Sam’s Club.
Obviously, I couldn’t physically go to the store (and if I had, it was an hour
away) so I had to order it online. For months, I would literally log into our Sam’s
Club account every morning, and try to get packs of toilet paper. If I saw there
was some in stock, I would try to add to cart, and complete order as fast as I
could. Of course, we all know the great toilet paper hoarding of 2020, so places
like Sam’s limited the amount you could buy. So, I could only get one pack at a
time. Thankfully, I was able to buy one with my mom’s card and then another
with my card…but never more than one per transaction. Sometimes, and more
times than not, I was not able to get toilet paper for days. Thankfully, we never
ran out but it was definitely something that was rather stressful.
7 | WHAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY?
The most beautiful memory was spending more time with my mom and
grandmother. Second, being able to participate in a drive-by well-wishing
parade for a friend who got married (her wedding was supposed to be in the
Bahamas…but, we all know how travel went last year…). It was so wonderful to
be able to safely celebrate with her.
8 | WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T ONE YEAR AGO?
folks are crazy! (ok, so I already knew that but last year took it to a whole new
level). Also, the world can completely stop (not the Earth in space, but the
people and actions).
9 | WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
Honestly, nothing. Other than us having Covid and worrying about us not
ending up in the hospital (thankfully, none of us did…ours was mild so all was
well), I enjoyed being at home…working, picking up food and eating at home,
etc. Life went from busy BUSY to….nothing!
(well, I have would have run 7 days a week instead of 3)
10 | WHAT WILL YOU CARRY FORWARD?
Never take anything for granted. While it was great for me (other than the 2
Never take anything for granted. While it was great for me (other than the 2
weeks we were mildly sick with Covid), so many lost loved ones, and some
healthcare workers missed time with their families because they could not go
home and risk exposing them. Also, some children missed out on an
appropriate education because, parents turned into teachers and/or children
had to learn virtually. On a lighter note, I will make sure to have stocked
pantries. When pandemics hit, people tend to hoard and the rest of us have to
fight (not really…or maybe so) for food and toilet paper.
Linking up for Tuesday Talk with Ashley from The House of Fancy and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything.
