Year Two

If it’s not on my face, I am carrying it around my wrist or in my purse. The mask mandate has been eased in LA County, but I still have a face mask with me at all times— out of precaution, and habit. Those extra face masks in the glove compartment of the car are still there, too.

I feel like every March of each year, at least in the next few years, will take me back to memories of March 2020 when the entire world seemed to shut down. Just like when I remember where exactly I was during the September 11 attacks (I was in US history class and my teacher had come into the room with tears to tell us the news)— I feel like March 2020 is a notable timestamp for many.

I was still going into work with minimal staff, and juggling different roles in the newsroom (reporting, producing, line producing, booking, coordinating, AP duties), while others from the newsroom worked remotely. We were all getting used to our fluid roles and situations during a pandemic. I gratefully accepted the bi-weekly handouts of hand sanitizers, face masks, and alcohol wipes— rationed out for each employee. The company faithfully replenished our supplies, hoping to better equip us to work in a virus-ridden world.

Getting our temperatures checked as we enter our office building. March 2020.

From March 2020, we were more vigilant than ever to wear our face masks, get our temperatures checked and to sanitize everything we touched. This was the new normal, that surprisingly, we quickly became accustomed to. After work, I would immediately go home or to my then boyfriend’s (now husband) house. Forget other social interactions. The quiet and solitude became our friends. And we all had downloaded Zoom, or at least Skype, on our computers or phones by April. We would occasionally hear about SOMEONE contracting COVID-19, and secretly judge them for not keeping CDC guidelines of social distancing or masking up.

Two years since that time, many of us have contracted COVID-19 (myself included) or know at least a friend or two who have. During the earlier months of the pandemic, I remember people trying to AVOID being tested for the coronavirus or wondering HOW to get tested. But now, getting tested has become a part of our lives, woven into our plans of going on a trip or coming back from a crowded area. Who knew the US government would also send us home test kits for this unrelenting virus?

Things seemed to have improved, with about 75% of adult Americans now vaccinated, and hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 down. But the reality is that the death toll continues to rise, and so far, the virus has killed more than 970,000 Americans and more than 6M people worldwide. Yikes.

Aside from the virus though, the world is still reeling. There’s a war in Ukraine with civilians and soldiers dying on the daily; inflation is at its 30-year high; gas prices are peaking ($6/gallon in CA); and there’s a growing mental health crisis. Just as how we could NOT be unaffected by COVID-19, these issues are affecting us all directly and indirectly—doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, employed or unemployed, Black or White, we are not immune to these issues. Like with the virus, most of these issues are out of our control—we can help, for sure, but for the most part, there’s not much we can do to stop the bombings by Putin.

One thing we CAN control though, is how we deal with the stresses. If the pandemic taught me anything—it is to really be grateful for the blessings in my life. Doesn’t matter how minute (I have great indoor parking at my place) or large (my family members are all healthy)—an attitude of gratitude lessens anxiety and clears the mind to be more productive and effective, for myself and for others. The pandemic also helped put my priorities in order—health and family over being consumed with a job. You don’t realize you are consumed with the more trivial things in life until you have a moment to pause and take a step back from everything you are doing. Even being able to do this seems like a blessing nowadays.

I still have my face mask wherever I go— and in that aspect, it may seem like things have not changed so much since March 2020. But behind that mask and my face, and a look into my heart, you can see I am no longer the same person I was two years ago. It’s not a bad thing. Through the global crisis, an upheaval and trauma from seeing the hurt all around me, I have become more sensitive. empathetic and at peace with myself and who I am. And in this way, feeling more strength to tackle the world ahead of me, one issue at a time.