COVID: This Too Shall Pass
This past week was tough for me; it marked week 7 of the stay at home order for Philadelphia and it was just extended to June 4. At the start of all of this, I welcomed the forced respite time—time away from others with a little more time to focus on myself and more time to spend at home. As an infectious disease epidemiologist, I understand the severe impact the COVID pandemic is having on our country. My work schedule alone reflects this with the increased workload and the long hours I’ve put in in the past couple months (and let me tell you burnout is kicking in). The importance of social distancing and stay at home orders is crucial to slow the spread of the virus and “flatten the curve”. The lack of PPE is real, the number of cases is intimidating, and the number of deaths is downright heartbreaking.
This week though, I’ve noticed that I personally have become more and more restless and my frustrations are rising. Mother’s Day is tomorrow and I’m unable to go home to see my mom and family. Like many others, my travel plans have been cancelled and celebrations have been postponed. In two weeks from now, my husband and I will be celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary. Since we returned from our Italian honeymoon last June, we’ve been looking forward to a road trip to Maine to celebrate our first year of marriage as well as my husband’s 30th birthday. Doesn’t brewery hoping & whale watching in Portland and hiking & kayaking in Acadia NP just sound dreamy? Unfortunately, due to COVID, our plans have been put on hold.
Feeling like I’m unable to look at the calendar and plan some fun adventures is probably the worst part of all. Quite frankly it all makes me want to cry. Will we be able to reschedule our Maine trip for later in the summer? Will we still be able to go out west in September for our highly anticipated campervan trip? Will friend’s weddings this summer and fall be postponed? When will it be acceptable to go home and see my family again? It’s all unknown and the unknown is scary.
Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, doesn’t it? And when we return to “normal”, won’t it feel so good? In the meantime, we need to remain positive and look for creative ways to explore and get outside. Because this too shall pass.
