Caitlin

5/21/2020

Saratoga Springs, New York

I first realized that the virus would be a big issue during a dentist visit in the first week of March 2020. The hygienist told me how difficult it was beginning to be for them to find masks and gloves to purchase for their office. This gave me pause and got me into preparation mode at home and at work.

I take a lot less for granted now, like being blessed to spend time with family members and enjoy the arts. Most of my friends and family are lucky to still have jobs and their health. Of course the crisis hits home once you know someone who is sick or working in a healthcare center. The big change for me has been to have time to reflect on my career and how much time I devote to it rather than family.

My anxiety has tripled but I find that when I limit my time watching news or reading social media posts, I feel much better. During those times, I feel much more grounded and able to connect with people more. I have always enjoyed baking, reading and gardening so I have much more time at home to do those things now. The possibility of the world reopening very soon has certainly increased my stress level, mostly because I have my staff members' lives in my hands for the first time really.

With any tragedy or crisis, I've noticed that they bring out the best and the worst in people. The political nightmare in our country has intensified and people just don't seem to treat one another with basic respect anymore. The issue of people opposing mask-wearing is one that baffles me. It should be just a given that we all want to protect ourselves and our fellow Americans. As much as I know these times bring out the worst in some people, it still surprises me to see the protestors and hear stories about people being verbally or physically abused for wearing a protective mask.

Our public library closed March 14, 2020 and all of our employees have been working from home to bring services and e-content to our patrons.

Our business is not essential, but I am considered our one essential employee. I have been working alone in our building to make sure our accounts are paid and payroll continues.

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Yes. I has been difficult to separate home and work life while being at home. I find that I have to carve out certain times of day to get my work completed or else I put it off. I now know what I've always suspected; I am a night owl. I get most of my business done during the late hours.

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I've never been comfortable using video conference platforms, but I've had to adjust to it quickly. I have been using e-books and movie streaming a lot more than normal with the additional time at home.

My immediate family all has birthdays from March-July so we decided to pick dates in the fall and winter to reschedule our special days when we can hopefully be together. I know many who have had to miss senior years and graduations and I breaks my heart for them.

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I'm always heartened when I hear stories of people giving back to their communities. I've seen so many volunteering to help at food drives for those in need. I read about someone who donated a deli platter to a local hospital unit and in the process helped out the restaurant that they ordered from. This made me decide to do the same and I sent some sweets from my favorite bakery to our front line staff.

I think we are doomed to repeat history if we don't learn from it. This moment is a pivotal one for all of us and for the future generations. We need to make sure we are prepared to handle another world crisis like this.

I think many will have anxiety and depression issues going forward. Once we return to work and the virus begins to spread again, I imagine that many of us will be separated from loved ones or possibly lose those we hold dear. I am very hopeful that we can work together to protect each other and keep the spread contained. Many things will have to change to keep us all safe. Patience will be needed from everyone while we figure this out I think.

Caitlin

COVID-19 (Disease)

Southern Adirondack Library System

Southern Adirondack Library System

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

English

Covid History

11839142370

Coronavirus Pandemic