April 12, 2020
I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a few weeks. I’ve never really understood the purpose of blogs before, but after 4 weeks of self-isolation or social distancing, or whatever we’re calling it, I’m getting excited about the idea. I think this could be a good outlet to document Life in the Time of COVID, as my partner has taken to calling our current situation. We are now in a world that is so unlike any experience we have lived through to date (at least for the baby boomers and their progeny, growing up in North America). I know some of our grandparents are likening this experience to WWII. As a 20-something-year-old, I cannot speak to that, but these experiences certainly are “unprecedented” as we have taken to saying. I think this blog can be a space to document a small part of our experiences, thoughts, and emotions during this time. Something to look back on and remember, and maybe better understand what we are all collectively going through.
I really like the idea of having a blog that different people contribute to, as a way to connect us with one another, and form some sort of community. As our day-to-day routines are disrupted and we can no longer get together in person with friends and family, it is easy to feel lonely, dejected, and afraid. I think this blog can serve to show people that they are not alone in their feelings and experiences. And also, perhaps, it can bring a little hope to people, and highlight how resilient we can be.
I am still in the initial stages of figuring out who will be contributing and how this will all work. So far I have asked a number of friends and family members to contribute, so you'll be seeing some of their posts in the coming weeks. I'm also interested in having the wider community contribute too! Posts can be in a variety of formats – short or long written posts, Q & A interviews, poetry, art work, photos, videos, however best expresses your perspectives! The focus of this blog is really just about what life is like right now. I'd love to share your anecdotes, experiences, thoughts, emotions. I want to hear your perspective. How has life changed? How is it the same as before? Do you think about things differently? Do you view the world differently? What are you feeling? How is your mental health? How is your physical health? How are you coping? Or not coping? What are you doing that is working? What isn’t working? How are your relationships while in self-isolation? Really any topic about Life in the Time of COVID is relevant.
I am looking forward to embarking on this blogging journey. I hope you are hanging in there and hold on for the ups and downs of this bumpy ride that is Life in the Time of COVID.
-Roo
If you have suggestions for topics to post about, please write them in the comments section below! Also, if you are interested in contributing content to this blog, please message me (see the Contact page).
Beautifully written! I can certainly say that I am frequently driven by my "I wants" or "I don't want". Working on stepping back from these preferences is a daily struggle and a daily practice, for me.
So today we went for our 7:00 am walk, suited up for the rain. The smell - fresh, the magnolias and spring flowers ready to pop out. The rain, puddles, worms and rarely people - plus or minus dogs. We talked about what is ahead and how what may drive people to move back into their "normal" life. How long will we tolerate the social distancing? And what will happen then? And what I thought about was how we are so driven by what we like and don't like. How much this often controls us without our awareness of this common human feature. I can imagine that previously liking and disliking had more survival value but now - not so…