Healing Light

Reflecting on the COVID-19 Shutdown

It feels like a lifetime ago. Five years. March 2020 was a month that changed everything. Today is the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown in the US, and I wonder: do you remember where you were?

For many, the images are etched in their minds: empty grocery store shelves, deserted streets, the constant hum of news broadcasts filled with fear and uncertainty. For me, the narrative is inextricably linked to my mother’s passing on March 5th, 2020, and being filled with sadness for all the people who had family members in long term care that they could not visit with, knowing how hard that would have been for my mom.

My mother’s passing was not unexpected and as it is for so many, life kept moving until it stopped. Soon after my mom passed, I had to attend a weekend business event. People had flown in from all corners of the country, mingling and networking as if nothing was amiss.

Looking back, it’s a chilling reminder of how quickly things escalated. Our company, sensing the growing unease, made the prescient decision to have all attendees work from home the following week. It was a temporary measure, we thought. A precaution. Little did we know, that “temporary” measure would stretch into nearly a year.

I was already working from home, a fortunate circumstance that offered a strange sense of continuity amidst the chaos. But even from the familiar comfort of my home office, the uncertainty of the situation was unnerving. The news was relentless, the numbers rising, it was just a crazy time.

Do you remember the immediate impact? The sudden shift from normalcy to isolation? The scramble for toilet paper and hand sanitizer? The constant, nagging worry about the unknown?

Five years later, it would seem that we’ve learned a lot, but have we? We’ve endured, adapted, and emerged, perhaps changed. Times in the US are once more chaotic, and the measles outbreak is just adding fuel to the fire. How are they where you are?

As we mark this anniversary, let’s take a moment to remember. Remember where we were, what we felt, and how far we’ve come. And perhaps, most importantly, let’s remember those we lost, and the lessons we learned during those unprecedented times.

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing? Share in the comments.

Light and Love ❤

#COVIDAnniversary #March2020 #PandemicMemories #FiveYearsLater #RememberWhereYouWere #GlobalShutdown #WorkFromHome #PandemicLife #HistoricalEvents #PersonalReflection #GriefAndPandemic #Resilience