It's a bittersweet moment. A year ago all of our lives were turned completely upside down, and we've all been through a lot to make it to today. For me, getting the vaccine signals a possible return to "normal". But can things ever really be the way that they were? Some of us lost our jobs forever, our kids missed more than a year of school, more than half a million people are gone forever that could still be with us, and even those who recovered from covid-19 may forever have lingering effects.
It crosses my mind all of the things our family missed over the past year, mostly experiences with Elsie (and Leo a bit). Trips to the Children's Museum, the splash park, searching for playgrounds with no other kids, going anywhere there would be other people we didn't trust, just a constant worry about being around other people - will she remember or have lasting social effects from this? To toot my own horn, I think Spencer and I did as well as we could finding new experiences and I think many will stick around - WI River canoe trips and our visit to more state parks. And Elsie was lucky enough to go to a great school for 3K that was in-person, if anything this experience has solidified that homeschooling/virtual learning is almost always rubbish in comparison to the real thing, mostly for kids (adults are different).
My own jobs (teaching at Madison College and research at UW-Madison) were completely upended, forcing me to work virtually 1000%. Labwork is now possible but comes with significant hurdles, weekly COVID-19 testing, social distancing, population control on each floor, no open stockroom (need appointments) and the biggest hurdle of all is ALL of our shipping and supply ordering has been greatly delayed. Gone are my favorite moments where I would be putzing around the lab, or chatting with co-workers about current events, or walking to another office to talk about science/troubleshooting. It's been beyond amazing to be able to see Elsie more, and be with Leo now that he's here, and chat with Spencer about real estate and fixing up our house. But I've also learned that working from home means you never actually leave work. I constantly feel behind or get interrupted by my loving family or have to push things back until tomorrow.
Despite it all, we as a family and as a society have shown our resilience, which gives me hope and pride that there's nothing we cannot overcome if we set our minds to it. From the astounding speed with which our scientists developed a highly efficacious vaccine, to the health care workers that manned and womanned the front lines at the hospitals, to the essential workers that helped keep our society running, to everyone willing to wear a mask to protect the most vulnerable among us, I am humbled by the people who have risen to the challenge. And the Slinger-Dixon-Slinger-Slinger family has never been closer.
We may never know the true beginnings of this horrible chapter in our lives. China has lied and will continue to cover up the exact origins of covid-19. However, this day marks the beginning of the end for me. I look forward to eating and shopping in public again, taking my kids to the playground and splash parks safely, and being face to face with my students and colleagues.
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