Things I Love About the Pandemic
The pandemic has taken a bitter toll on the lives of so many and I believe we are all suffering from some form of depression and anxiety. Parents have been displaced from the workforce to take care of children. Families don’t have enough money to buy food and many may soon be evicted. Then what?
People have died.
For my mental health, I work to cultivate gratitude in my life. Here is a bittersweet list of five things I am grateful for during the pandemic.
Online Civic Connections
With Zoom meetings, my monthly neighborhood association meetings have never been so engaging and regularly attended. I can keep up on school board meetings while fixing dinner. Online meetings make participation easier for many, but sadly the technology has also left some people behind. I am hopeful that post-pandemic there will be a mix of ways to participate civically.
Community meeting on my back deck // Linda War Bonnet
Cocktails-to-Go
I don’t know why we didn’t think about this before. It helps small businesses because cocktails are high margin and it’s fun to get a nice drink with takeout. Plus you get a cool jar to keep. For now, the relaxed alcohol to-go rules are in place until Summer 2023.
Neighborhood Fitness
I can’t believe how many neighbors I’ve seen getting out of the house and walking every day. Dogs hit the pandemic jackpot with their people home all the time and going on multiple daily walks. I’ve started running in my neighborhood and since the gyms have been closed for such a long time, I’ve been running long enough now that I’ve developed a practice that is likely to stick post-pandemic.
Rethinking School
Turns out that many high schoolers appreciate asynchronous time to catch up on work or to work at their own pace. Some need to have more accountability but some are thriving with remote learning. It’s not hard to see how removing social pressures can be beneficial. This is just the tip of the iceberg of conversations in my school district. If we are going to make changes, the time is now.
Online Grocery Shopping
I don’t like grocery shopping and now I shop with Instacart almost all the time. I’m saving time and I’m pretty sure I’m saving money by eliminating impulse purchases. I shop Costco and Fred Meyer with Instacart and have not had a single issue. I plan to continue using the service post-pandemic.
Groceries delivered to my front door // Linda War Bonnet
A few other things I’m grateful for include the light shed on inequities because now it’s clear what we need to work on. I also love that employers see that telework will work for some of their employees, which often translates to better work-life balance.
Have you been able to find things to be grateful for this past year? Let us know in the comments.
Linda War Bonnet represents south Everett on the Live in Everett Team. When she isn’t working, she is running the Westmont-Holly Neighborhood Association.
