Writings on Covid-19

Something that I find kind of fascinating with the Covid-19 pandemic that we’ve all been experiencing for…(counts) 18 months-ish (if it started in March 2020 where you are, as it did where I am), is the fact that everyone on the entire planet can relate to the experience as we are all going through it. And that’s just so strange to think about. I don’t think there has been any other experience that every human being in the world can also relate to. Isn’t that crazy to think about? And life has turned into a world of dichotomies - mask wearing vs. not, vaccination vs. not (and if you have got the vaccine, it’s almost like a competition! Which one did you get? Pfizer? Or AstraZeneca, Moderna or J&J (or other ones that are more regional like Sputnik V in Russia)).

As someone who loves psychology and social psychology, this is fascinating to me (on that scale that is - obviously it is tragic and awful and anxiety and fear producing and causing massive increases in mental health issues around the world as we all try and cope with this thing that seems never ending, with its variants and various “waves”. I’ve been told that it’s something that we should just accept will be a part of life from now on, and that eventually it’ll be something like the seasonal cold and flu (though much worse, especially if you are unvaccinated). I even watched a mask wearing PSA on Disney+ the other day - a short couple minute film about Goofy and putting a mask on! If that doesn’t show you how the world’s changed, I don’t know what will!

Because my husband and I are both introverts (well, I’m an introvert, he says he’s just anti-social), pandemic life hasn’t been all that much different from our regular lives. We don’t really go out and do much, and really the only change is wearing masks when out and about in stores and grocery shopping (or anywhere that it is also super crowded). I’ve continued to work at work the whole time (with only briefly working from home), and my husband does freelance soccer journalism stuff so his work life hasn’t changed. The only major impact, as I’m Canadian and with the Canada-US border is still closed to Canadians driving to the US, is we haven’t been able to travel to the US like we used to prior to Covid-19. Life BC (Before Covid) we used to take multiple trips per year down to the Oregon coast - at least once a year, sometimes 2 or even 3, with our dog to walk and explore the many miles of beautiful beach and coastline. Our last trip down there was our final trip with our dog in May 2019 who sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge the following month. A few months later we got our senior rescue dog, which we’d hoped to be able to take a trip with to the Oregon coast - alas that has not happened yet! We still have her (thankfully), but the way things are going we have no idea when we’ll be able to travel by car to the US.

Because Covid has probably been in the back of most everyone’s minds since it started (it’s not something we can get away from (yet!) sadly), I ended up writing a few pieces for Elephant Journal - two about how to reintegrate into the world after being in lockdowns or working from home and isolated for so long, and another a short poem, again, on the starkness of Covid-life vs ‘Normal’ life. (note: you can only read 2 articles per day for free on EJ without becoming a paid member, but hey, 2 articles a day isn't bad!)

Are We Prepared to Live In a Post Pandemic World?

A Way to Reconnect With Ourselves and ‘Normal Life’ After Covid-19

Sirens and Birdsong: a Poem for Covid-Times

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If you enjoyed this piece, you might enjoy this non-fiction article about coping with trauma.