There has been a nagging voice inside of my head, calling me to write again. I started to feel the urge as I approached February, the 1-year anniversary of my last post. I ignored it.

Then, our world was changed by covid-19. Again, I felt a tug. I pushed it aside.

However, as we enter our 4th week of quarantine as a family, I cannot help but think about our year of ubuntu. Afterall, this virus knows no border, no gender, no socio-economic position. It has brought us all into our homes to slow down and reflect. This is truly a shared human experience, at a scale that we have never experienced in our lifetime.

The past few weeks have brought a mix of emotions.

On one hand, Quentin and Amelia just turned 16 and 13 and were starting to establish their own lives. We seemed to be seeing less and less of them. My work included considerable travel and jumping back into my profession also came with all the additional responsibilities that come along. While we were certainly working on a solid foundation of connection as a family, I did have some concerns that life was reaching too rapid a pace. Somehow, the timing of the shelter in place brought a tiny bit of relief. Even more, I found myself relishing in the extra time with the kids. Having meals together daily reminded me of our travels and family basketball games replaced hours of traffic jams and carpooling.

On the other hand, I was and am keenly aware of the social and societal impact of what we are experiencing. Layoffs, furloughs and business closures are occurring daily. It is so hard to see the fabric of our city fray at the ends. I worry about friends and loved ones, not just their health, but the financial blow. Mostly I am concerned about the socio-economic gap and how this pause will exacerbate it - in particular the children that won’t have access to meals nor school. I also worry about what our city and life will look like on the other side.

One thing is for sure. Things will be different. There will be gifts that come with this. I imagine the breaks in our system will bring much needed innovation for businesses, education, healthcare and the environment.

Which brings me to where my mind is right now. I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be over on May 4th. So, right now, just like when I found myself unemployed and looking for purpose, I am trying to figure out what the universe is trying to tell me (us).