It was the best of time because my husband who commutes to Boston everyday, would be working from home indefinitely! Our kids would finally get some real quality time with him and he would be around to see all the funny moments and the silly things they say during the day!
It was the worst of times because after working from home for about 6 weeks we got the phone he had been laid off because his company (a former startup restaurant) was closing due to the pandemic.
It was the best of times because now my husband who normally worked all day, was home with free time. Our kids got his undivided attention and I could put his project management skills to use. Pool opening, check! Paint the dining room, check! And so on, we made a list of projects we both wanted to accomplish with the time we had home. I re-organized our bedroom and closet! He did a spring clean up in our yard, trimming bushes, cutting back weeds and overall yard maintenance.
It was the worst of times because even though we were enjoying each other’s company and feeling accomplished, we didn’t know what an extended unemployment would look like for us financially.
It was the best of times because for the first time since our daughter was born, the shut down forced us to all slow down and stop over-committing ourselves. No more running around everywhere. We began making homemade pizzas every Friday with homemade sauce; it was unbelievable and so fresh. The kids loved helping knead the dough and spread the sauce and cheese, and of course, steal a few slices of cheese to eat before it made it to the pizza.
It was the worst of times because we saw local business that we’ve loved close their doors for good. We saw restaurants we hadn’t yet tried yet (thanks kids) close their doorsand we saw friends put up “for sale” signs or “for rent” signs. There was nothing we could do but say, “this sucks, and we’re here if we can help in any way.”
It was the best of times because we saw people come together, donate to shelters, food pantries, post online if someone needed something they can safely reach out. With no judgement, we saw groups doing check-ins so their friends would feel safe to say they were having a bad day, or maybe they saw their favorite toilet paper on sale at the local Wal-Greens. People came together and showed kindness and grace.
It was the worst of times because as the COVID-19 death toll began to grow, it continued to get closer and closer to people we knew and it quickly directly impacted everyone.
It was the best of times because nurses, doctors, PAs, CNAs, lab techs, police, and so many other first responders stepped up to offer help and support. Community leaders helped their neighbors and their friends; we all came together for one thing- each others health and safety.
2020 will go down in history, there is no doubting that this has been the weirdest time for us all. 2020 reminded us what it meant to get back to the basics, it reminded us that no one is immune to sadness or hurt or kindness. 2020 will go down as a time when people took to social media to stand up for what they believed in, people took to the literal streets fighting for injustices, people brought platers of food to first responders and most of all people showed up for their neighbors and elderly family and those who are high-risk.
2020 was a time for people to re-connect and mend friendships, 2020 was a time to re-evaluate what mattered most to people, 2020 was a time to be honest with ourselves and our priorities.
It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, here’s to making 2021 less memorable.
