The Importance of Community during a Pandemic

If someone would have asked me if I thought that in my lifetime, I would live through a pandemic. My immediate response would have been never in a million years. That never even cross my mind, but here we are. They always say expect the unexpected, how true is that.

The Pandemic has affected my family, but thankfully most of them have recovered or are recovering. My heart goes out to those that have lost families and friends as a result of the COVID-19. However, as we face these difficult times and go through these situations, we must stay strong and rely on our families and each other.

The Pandemic has forced me to reflect and realized many things. It is much harder to cope and work at the same time when you are worried about the potential risk of your family members dying. That worrying affected my thinking process since it was needlessly adding stress into my life. By reflecting on the core issues and not worrying about a future that was not yet here, the stress significantly lessen. I was more productive with my work and in my personal life. I look at how much closer I am now with my family than before. I get so much more support, which motivates me to work even harder every day through this crisis.

On the other hand, there is my NYPCC family that has been so understanding and supportive. I could not have asked for a better place to work than here. In these trying times, they reach out to us and provide us with fun challenges/activities, tools/resources, virtual night out, etc., which help us stay connected. They keep us in mind, and I feel grateful for these things now even more so. It truly feels like a family.

Even though the Pandemic is still going on, we must pull together as a community. When we are together, we become one, and when we become one, we become stronger.