How Corona Changed Our Culture

For many, Covid-19, also known as Corona Virus, completely uprooted everything they had known causing mass concern, chaos, and question.

People's home lives were completely disrupted as schools, churches, and businesses all around the globe shut their doors for an indefinite period of time. Full time working parents all of a sudden became primary caregiver, school teacher, spiritual leader, entertainer, house keeper and more. Those in the work force had to quickly shift gears, and begin working remote, while at home. The service industry completely shut down, leaving its employees without any type of income. Unemployment rates skyrocketed, costing billions in lost wages. As corona continued to spread, any and all precautionary measures were taken in order to keep those most susceptible to the disease, safe and as healthy as possible.

No longer were there cultural or country specific silos. There were no privileges based on skin color. We were in this together. The chaos and questions didn't discriminate.

For the first time, the World as a whole had a single set of rules and regulations to which everyone was to abide by. Curfews and stay at home orders became a mandatory requirement to day to day living. Masks and gloves became a requirement if you had to leave the house and only if you were one of the few considered to be essential.

To many, this was no different than any other day, or month, or year before. Caregivers, stay at home parents, the disabled and elderly have been living like this all along. Sure, there were obvious restrictions put into place that weren't part of their everyday norm, but finally people realized that it wasn't about them, it was about others. People started having more empathy, being self-less, more patient, more kind, more respectful. We, as humans had started to recognize the difference in needs vs. wants, and all the many things that we had been taking for granted as a result.

Just before the reality of Covid-19 hit, I was able to enjoy, for the first time in years, taking my son to a public dinosaur event held at a nearby convention center. Knowing myself and my "conditions," I took my son early in the afternoon, when the event first started, to avoid mass crowds and to ensure he and I could have the best time without my issues impacting his fun.

This was one of the last public and progressively crowded events I attended before this pandemic struck. I cherish this moment, because it was just mommy and son time. He got to see moving dinosaurs, play with other kids in sandboxes as they brushed sand away to expose bones.

In this moment, I become overcome with emotion. (Yes, I'm an empath) Watching all these people, from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different cultures, different upbringings, different skin colors, some even spoke different languages, all together in a single sandbox. All working toward one goal. Sharing the resources they had been given to achieve it.

Maybe I look at this pandemic differently, I've been told I see things different and that is why I am good at what I do. But, hopefully people see there is more to life than money, than vanity, than hate, and disrespect, than violence, and most importantly, themselves. It's important to be self-aware and self-confident, and totally appropriate to have your own set of beliefs, principles, values, and opinions. But taking advantage of them, abusing them, ignoring them, and disrespecting them or others isn't.

Covid taught me many many things. It helped to restore what family has always meant to me. It taught me patience, and still is doing that. It taught me to see things less negatively and find positive amidst the chaos. To not live in fear or be insecure, that I am unique and I have to do my part, whatever that is, to be the best person, human, mother, bonus mom, fur mom, daughter, sister, influencer and lover that I possibly can be. You just never know who might need it, see it, then start believing in it and finally change it.