COVID 19: Something for Everyone

 

COVID 19: Something for Everyone

 

 

Everyone in our IHP community (and beyond) has experienced grief and loss over the past twelve months.   Moving classes online, changing practicum experiences, cancelling social events, adding work, teaching kids at home, not seeing friends, having too much alone time were all part of the academic and work experience.  Deeper, more profound losses, illnesses, deaths, missing family, losing out on planned weddings or memorial services, and caring for loved ones have pierced our hearts collectively.   And then there is our collective and individual angst.  Will I lose my job? Will I graduate? How can I learn this way? Will I be able to collect data? When will school reopen?  Is anyone listening? When can I see my children, parents, or grandchildren again? 

I write this post, not as a trigger, but as a reminder of what we are moving away from. COVID-19 is not gone. While we continue to have to practice physical (not social) distancing, remember the masks when we go out, and to be careful in general we are seeing increased availability of the vaccine, slow return to previous activities, and a light of positivity leading us toward the last quarter of 2021.  We will get there. 

 I have discovered that it is helpful to acknowledge what is missing and what is disappointing or painful.  This is part of the way forward for all of us.   I found this video to be so helpful as I think about this past year.  I think many of you will also find it helpful. 

 The video is a COVID 19 memorial service held at Mass General earlier this month.   It is beautifully recorded, filled with reminders of the past, and also offering a look at what is ahead.  I hope that like me, you find it to be just what you need to begin looking forward.