Change is Hard

Things might be difficult, but we are resilient.

The world has gone a bit topsy-turvy lately, hasn’t it? The news is a series of numbers—both financial and human, and things are postponed, cancelled, closed, going online, and discouraged for the foreseeable future.

Living in a college town, with a spouse who is employed at a university and two children who are attending different universities, the impact is going to be significant. My spouse, an artist, works in fine arts and my oldest daughter is a fine arts major. Classes and activities in that department are not easily, or impossible to recreate in a virtual environment. Arrangements are made, precautions taken, but they continue forward, making art, living in a world already a bit socially distant by virtue of the sometimes solitary work that is art.

My other daughter is a pre-nursing student (she starts her nursing program next year). Some of her classes are easily transitioned to an online environment, and some of them will require video lectures and interactive chats to encourage the learning that is done in a face-to-face environment. I feel for those students who do not do well with online classes. Those who struggle with motivation or learning disabilities, or just have learning styles that make virtual classes difficult. I hope students work together to ease this transition.

Local businesses are already feeling the emptiness since many students are returning home to complete their semesters. The large spring events that brought much needed revenue to businesses are now cancelled, and I’m sure this is causing financial strain and anxiety for many. I encourage the community to support these local businesses. You don’t have to sit in a restaurant and have a meal. Many restaurants and cafes are discouraging it, and offer take-out options. Buy gift certificates to places where you are a regular patron and use them when things start to right themselves again.

You know all those books you’ve been hoarding? You might have some extra time to read them now. If so, what a great way to get away from the world for a while. Physical travel may be off the table right now, but you can go just about anywhere inside a good book. Don’t feel like reading? Create instead. Write, draw, bake, paint, craft, organize.

Feeling lonely and isolated? While we may be physically distant from one another, many of us are lucky enough to have access to the Internet. There is a whole world of people in the same situation. Reach out. Engage with your online communities. You’re not in this alone. I’m here.

Be safe and stay healthy.