Normally I reserve my work blog for tutorial videos and other product specific posts. But every once in awhile, I find myself wanting to just write about experiences. It’s Friday afternoon and it’s been a slower day so I thought I’d take a few minutes to jot down a few things.
It’s been over a year since the pandemic hit. For many of my colleagues, and even some of my friends, it’s meant transitioning to working from home. I started working from home a year before the pandemic so in that regard, nothing much changed.
Living in Riverview, NB, Canada I have been very fortunate to not have to deal with the pandemic in the same sense as many others have. My home province has less than a million people living in it. As a result, case numbers and deaths have been far lower than many places. As of this post, we’ve had 1900 cases, 36 deaths (including people I know), and most of the COVID variants have made it here. Comparing those numbers to other parts of Canada, I cannot fathom how lucky we are.
Life here has remained somewhat normal since last summer. Yes, people are wearing masks, and store hours are reduced, and many of us are working from home. But the day to day things people are used to are still by far and large, close to what they were before. I can still go to a restaurant and eat in. I can still go to a bar and see friends. The theatres are open less often but are still playing movies. Sure, it’s slightly different with the social distancing, hand-sanitizing, and arrows on the floor to control flow. But it could be so much worse.
COVID has affected me personally. I have colleagues and friends who have had COVID and survived. But I’ve also had people I know lose their lives to this pandemic. A high school friend who was more like a brother to me lost his life after 50+ days in the hospital fighting the damage it did to his body. I know firsthand what it’s like to see people you love lose their battle and it’s not something I wish to see happen to anyone else.
Despite this, I still have hope for the future. Vaccines are rolling out here, albeit at a snails pace. I have my friends and my family to lean on when I need it.
The best sign I have seen so far that things are getting better is through the eyes of my daughter. Today she turns 12 years old. Last year she couldn’t have a real party or spend time with her friends because we were in lockdown. She had to wave to her friends as they drove by the house honking horns to congratulate her. Tonite, she’ll share her birthday with myself, her mom and brother and both her grandmothers. She’s got two friends spending the night here and tomorrow she’ll see her friends again. It gives me great joy to see her happy and in a better spot than we were a year ago.
I also give thanks to Thomson Reuters who have done a phenomenal job of supporting their staff. They gave me time when I needed it the most. Not all employers have been as gracious with their staff as TR has. I’m reminded often about why I continue to be an employee here.
Here’s to hoping that when my daughter becomes a teenager next year, I’m living in a world even that much closer to normal than it is now.
