By Kee Smith
As we gear up to close out the first summer we’ve had in what feels like centuries, I can’t help but wonder if we are also gearing up to go right back into a lockdown in some capacity or another.
Not too long ago, we were homeschooling our kids, which meant on top of being teachers, we were acting as the cafeteria lady, too. The difference was that we were making the breakfast appetizers before the breakfast meal, the snack before the snack time snack, the lunch appetizer before the actual lunch, two snacks before dinner, and then snacks and dessert after that. Now, I don’t know about you, but it was exhausting. Since when do kids eat that much during school hours?! Because they definitely don’t eat that much on campus. I’m willing to die on that hill! Not to mention that some people were WFH — conducting Zoom meetings and calls from their living or bedroom office. We all became experts at services like InstaCart and Curbside Pickup and sharpened our already lethal Amazon habits. All in all, the basics of staying home as a unit was proven to be much more overwhelming than any of us ever expected it could be.
As a result, or one of many results, you probably found yourself dealing with mental health issues that you weren’t even aware existed within yourself. You may have found that your self-check-ins were becoming a bit more strenuous than they had been B.C. ( Before Covid), or maybe you found yourself hiding in the bathroom more often than you ever have before.
Additionally, some people may have found themselves relapsing on their addictions, while others experienced more abuse of some sort. We know, too, that some people lost jobs and struggled financially while social media constantly circulated memes telling us that if we didn’t level up and somehow become millionaires during the duration of lockdown, we weren’t worthy of such an accolade.
Whatever your individual experience was with the pandemic lockdown, it was a valid experience. In my opinion, there is no way to invalidate any person’s experience. Hell, a majority of us were experiencing a pandemic for the very first time. With mandates changing daily, there’s no real way for us to know what happens next until it happens. The good news is that now, even if we have to go back inside, we are essentially Pandemic Professionals. I know it’s overwhelming and a bit stressful, but we’d be coming from a place of experience this time. We were literally fighting over toilet paper and paper towels when this whole thing started, and I feel like some things like that are beneath us now. I mean, I sure hope it is. So, I just wanted to send a quick little #keenote to anyone that may be a little more stressed in anticipation of the world’s next trick …show up prepared; you got this.
Kee Smith is a contributing writer and is a homie, lover and friend and always “write” on time. Be sure to connect on IG @_ _ _lowkee.
The Pedestal Project 