It’s been a strange week. I’ve gone back to the physical space of work for a few of those days. I’ve ran more miles on foot than workout videos. I’ve visited with family, some of whom I haven’t seen since March. What a gift this time has been. And it’s weird to say, but (privilege speaking) I’ll miss some of the stillness.
Time and place are strange, interconnected things. By working at home, I had more time because so much was in one place. And now, I’m seeing how long it takes from Point A to Point B, where accidents can happen in just seconds. Where distractions reign supreme, from flashing “dine in” ads to marchers. Maybe it feels like too much stimuli. Maybe I stopped attending to them before the pandemic, and now it’s everything I see because it’s outside my four walls.
I’ve never been a one-and-done person for activities, anyway. I’ve always had a to do list, where progress was measured by how much I could stuff into a day. But “busy” doesn’t always mean “productive.” And now that life is slowly creeping back to this new normal, I know I must be flexible.
I’m not sure where my folks stand on meeting at places outside their homes. I’m sure we’ll return to those familiar places eventually. What that means for economics, I can’t say. It’s going to be hard for small businesses, certainly. But as a marketer, I know there will be some demand, even if it’s a smaller audience, of those seeking external stimulation.
This summer will force a focus back on home, especially for my neck of the woods. There’s no festivals, including one that draws m(b?)illions of revenue to my city… But the movie theatres opened. And restaurants are (at least appearing to be) taking extra precautions. For me, it comes down to trusting fellow humans, to stay in if needed. And I’m trusting that appropriate resources are being allocated so scientists and health professionals can learn how Covid works, so a second wave doesn’t happen.
There are so many people I miss, and Zoom and Facebook have helped a little to supersede place for some of these fine humans. But it’s on me to keep these connections going. It’s on me to work on this website, including networking and relationship building, because I have big goals to reach more people and focus on goals for specific audiences.
This became another entry to the Corona Diaries, and I’m not sure if I’ll continue this beat or not. There isn’t an end in sight to the pandemic, as of writing. Is this useful, to share my experiences? I know it acts as a check-in, so if you want to use this as an opportunity to share what you’re up to, how you’re feeling, or your thoughts, please do so! I hope to be a resource for you or at least share my perspective. Let me know with a comment.
Stay safe. You matter.
Zoom and Facebook can only fill so many of the voids, if anything I learned people need human-to-human connections to be fulfilled. No matter how interconnected you may be online, there is still a void to be filled if you can’t interact with other people “irl.” Trusting fellow humans is a daunting task, however it is one our mental health depends on. I personally don’t mind a little intervention from our elected officials to make sure we navigate this unprecedented time safely and return to “normal” as much as safely possible.
-Aaron S.
Thank you for this very thoughtful comment, Aaron! Social media and video chatting are tools but can’t replace the physical. They can bring very specific people together (families, work, or specific interest groups) but that can also cause confirmation bias. I love what you said about “human-to-human connections”, and the only way to truly capture that is through physical. Hopefully these vaccines and new people in office can make that happen soon!