It is day four of our 9 Days of Reflection During The Pandemic series and I am so happy you are still here. Thank you all for your participation thus far, I look forward to further reflection and conversation with you all. If you missed any of the other #ndordtp posts, you can check them out here. Let us dive right into the question for today.
Day 4: What are your worries now and after COVID-19?
Worries. I try so hard not to worry, especially about things that I cannot control but these are very different circumstances. It is almost as if COVID-19 has our future in its hands and we can’t do anything except wait around. It is a little scary.
My immediate worries however are mainly around income. In the beginning of the pandemic when school closed this meant that I would not be working and therefore not getting paid. I waited a few days and then filed for unemployment when it was announced that schools would be closed for the rest of the academic school year. And it is still uncertain when schools will open for the ‘20-’21 school year.
We have been trying to move since the end of last year and have not been able to do so. We finally found a place and are scheduled to move June 1st. While I am super excited and grateful, I am worried about my current place of employment. Since after two weeks of receiving unemployment, I started filling around March eighteenth and wasn’t able to get approved until late April early May, I received a call that the company wanted to bring us back on to payroll the next week. We would be working from home doing online training and will receive our normal rate of pay at 35 hours a week. This was good news, right?
At first I was bummed because that meant that I would be getting paid half of what I had been paid while on unemployment; I was able to pay my bills to where I would not have to pay anything for a few months, pay down some debt, and still be able to do other things. It was a luxury I wasn’t ready to give up. Then I realized that still being employed was a bigger blessing. That’s when I received a new offer letter.
After reading the letter I felt uneasy. The new offer letter pushed uncertainty to a new meaning for me. I had a lot of questions. Once was answered with: “You are guaranteed your current rate of pay and 35 hours for the first eight weeks.” I was then stressed all over again.
After COVID-19
Just thoughts – when exactly is “after COVID-19”…when “outside opens back up” or when people are no longer contracting it or maybe it’s when they flatten the curve?
On the other hand my concerns for “after” COVID-19 have nothing to do with finances. I worry that COVID-19 has permanently changed our way of living. Not in the “life is short, don’t take it for granted” kinda way but in the forever “social distancing” kind of way.
The way the media pushed out information on the virus has people extremely worried for their safety and may have even left some people traumatized. So I wonder how they will assure everyone that it is actually safe to return to “normal.” And by normal I do mean what will be our “new normal” because there is no way we can all return to living the way we did before the pandemic. It is safe to say I am worried for what your new normal will look like.
Yesterday’s reflection had us looking at how this time benefited our families while today we come to terms with our worries around COVID-19. Please lay your worries for now and after COVID-19 in the comments below.
Question for Day 5: What are some new principles or activities you want to incorporate in your new normal after the pandemic?
thefunkyeclectic.com 