We’ve all seen the coronavirus maps...
The red circles spread like pools of blood on butcher’s paper. COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise. Bodies overflow morgues. And funeral homes are using refrigerated trucks and ice rinks as temporary storage. But these are statistics, numbers, and images in the news articles I read on my iPhone as I sit safely at home on my couch. Experiencing the reality on the frontlines is much, much worse. Colleen Farrell, an internal medicine resident at NYU Langone and Bellevue Hospital, said last week in the New York Times ... Most people in today’s America don’t know what death looks like. What’s the difference between 10, 100, 1,000 deaths? Numbers are so sterile and removed. Death itself is hidden in hospitals and nursing homes. The coronavirus has affected countless facets of our life – from the delayed 2020 Olympics and professional sports, to canceled graduations, shut-down schools, and furloughed workers. Families cannot mourn the dead because the living can’t see each other. The stock market crashed and thrust us into one of the fastest bear markets in U.S. history. History books are being rewritten as I type.
But again, these are broad, faceless numbers. We each have our own personal story of how this global pandemic has changed our life. I can share with you my own “new normal”... My husband and I are both juggling full- time jobs at home while our two sons (try to) engage in online learning. My dining room table is cluttered with school papers, toys, laptops, and dirty dishes. I miss my neat, quiet desk at the office and chatting with coworkers. I miss my friends and family but settle for virtual get-togethers, where I hole up in my bedroom with a glass of wine and my computer – laughing with familiar faces in blocks on the screen like The Brady Bunch. We watch a lot of movies. If it’s compelling enough, I forget about COVID-19 for 90 minutes. But we are safe and healthy... I know I’m privileged and lucky that these are my small complaints. I wanted to explore how the virus has changed so many people’s lives. Here are just a few of their stories, in their own words...
American Consequences
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