COVID-19 Reflecting
In my last post I started talking about this COVID-19 and quarantine stuff...and then tabled it for a future post.
Welp hi! Here's my future post.
And ^^^^ this fortune from the other night could not be more wrong. Or maybe, just maybe...it's right -- and this social distancing and isolation will be coming to an end soon. Oh how I hope and pray that is the case. I don't think it is, but it doesn't stop me from hoping.
10 days ago I truly thought the media was just blowing this up out of proportion (per usual) and was angry -- it didn't seem like something to worry about any worse than the flu or RSV.
How wrong I was. How wrong so many were.
It's much more than that and much more scary. And the impact it's had just in the past week has been insurmountable.
Restaurants closed. Take out only (if they're even offering that). Bars closed. Non-essential stores closed. People laid-off. Jobs being cut, people forced to work from home...or not at all.
And my business. My legitimate small business that I was SOOOO hopeful for 2020 to have an amazing year (and was on track to!) and completely smash the wonderful year I had in 2019 is now on hold. I am confident that things will pickup again...hopefully...but that could be MONTHS away. And that is terrifying. All of my upcoming shoots have opted to reschedule, which is 1000% okay. I get it. I hate it but totallllllly get it. I have 16 birth clients due between now and September and if the policies for the hospitals these mamas are due at hold strong, I won't be able to capture most if not all of them. And that PAINS ME. I know just how important these once-in-a-lifetime pictures are and for families not being allowed to have those truly makes my heart ache. Again, I get it. I do. But doesn't mean I have to like it. Because is it causing a massive financial hit to my family and my little business...and taking me away from my job and clients. And that really truly reallllllllly sucks. And there are so many others in this same situation I am in -- small business owners who are trying to stay positive and look ahead and hope and pray the future is soon and we'll be back in business. But truly we have no clue when that is: 2 weeks? 2 months? A year? Everyone is saying different things and it is scary as shit. I'm not gonna lie.
So what are we doing?! We are hunkering down at home. Very limited trips out (like I need to run to the bank later, which is drive-up only...and eventually will have to make a grocery store run) and trying to keep busy staying in. We have been trying to get takeout and curbside pickup from our favorite local restaurants that are still open -- to keep supporting them as much as we can. It's truly just so mind boggling to me how quickly everything went from 0-100 and how quick and drastic of an impact this virus has had on our economy. I realized I had neglected my blog (again. oops.) so figured I'd do some catching up posts in the meantime. Mike and I have started watching a new show Hunters and that's been a nice escape from the news and realities of what's going on. But mostly we are in a constant back-and-forth state of reading the news and social media and trying to sift through what is real and what isn't. Super fun ;-)
I am wishing and hoping and praying SO HARD that these 'months long' predictions are wrong and we can kick this much faster than other countries (wishful thinking, I'm sure) and resume to life as we know it sooner than later. I get on the verge of tears thinking about the kids and all that they were looking forward to coming up (baseball season for P, the final months before their big dance recital for the girls, Rosie's last days of preschool, Patrick's end of the year fun for 1st grade, Teddy finally getting older and enjoying more adventures, our family vacation in June, all of the summer camps for the big kids, trips to the pool, and so much more) -- and I keep reminding myself that this is temporary and all of this 'staying in' will be worth it for our future...which will hopefully be so much longer and this will just seem like a minor hiccup looking back. I pray so hard for that. And praying that there is indeed a big baby boom next winter and I get a crapload of birth bookings to make up for the lull right now. Also super duper thankful for electricity, the internet, streaming services, delivery services, my iPhone, and a whole crapload of other things that are making this a little less painful. Can you imagine doing this sans modern conveniences?!?!? YIKESSSSS. I'd die without my devices that's for sure 😆
So what do we do now?! We wait and stay home and flatten that curve and pray so hard this is on the way out. That scientists hurry to quickly find medicine that combat this virus and develop a vaccine in record time.
Until then, we'll be watching a lot of TV, reading a lot of books, getting outside and playing (as soon as we get some nicer weather!), having lots of family time, doing a little bit of school work, taking lots of pictures (gotta keep up my social media presence for my business!), making oodles of family memories, maybe a bit of cleaning and organizing, and trying as hard as we can to not go down any rabbit holes of despair with doom and gloom. WE WILL get through this. It will be hard and tough and definitely a completely ratchet away from our norm, but I am confident we will and hopefully learn a lot of lessons about a wholllllleeeeee lotta things along the way.
Stay safe friends, stay healthy, wash those hands, and stay home.
And ^^^^ this fortune from the other night could not be more wrong. Or maybe, just maybe...it's right -- and this social distancing and isolation will be coming to an end soon. Oh how I hope and pray that is the case. I don't think it is, but it doesn't stop me from hoping.
10 days ago I truly thought the media was just blowing this up out of proportion (per usual) and was angry -- it didn't seem like something to worry about any worse than the flu or RSV.
How wrong I was. How wrong so many were.
It's much more than that and much more scary. And the impact it's had just in the past week has been insurmountable.
Restaurants closed. Take out only (if they're even offering that). Bars closed. Non-essential stores closed. People laid-off. Jobs being cut, people forced to work from home...or not at all.
And my business. My legitimate small business that I was SOOOO hopeful for 2020 to have an amazing year (and was on track to!) and completely smash the wonderful year I had in 2019 is now on hold. I am confident that things will pickup again...hopefully...but that could be MONTHS away. And that is terrifying. All of my upcoming shoots have opted to reschedule, which is 1000% okay. I get it. I hate it but totallllllly get it. I have 16 birth clients due between now and September and if the policies for the hospitals these mamas are due at hold strong, I won't be able to capture most if not all of them. And that PAINS ME. I know just how important these once-in-a-lifetime pictures are and for families not being allowed to have those truly makes my heart ache. Again, I get it. I do. But doesn't mean I have to like it. Because is it causing a massive financial hit to my family and my little business...and taking me away from my job and clients. And that really truly reallllllllly sucks. And there are so many others in this same situation I am in -- small business owners who are trying to stay positive and look ahead and hope and pray the future is soon and we'll be back in business. But truly we have no clue when that is: 2 weeks? 2 months? A year? Everyone is saying different things and it is scary as shit. I'm not gonna lie.
So what are we doing?! We are hunkering down at home. Very limited trips out (like I need to run to the bank later, which is drive-up only...and eventually will have to make a grocery store run) and trying to keep busy staying in. We have been trying to get takeout and curbside pickup from our favorite local restaurants that are still open -- to keep supporting them as much as we can. It's truly just so mind boggling to me how quickly everything went from 0-100 and how quick and drastic of an impact this virus has had on our economy. I realized I had neglected my blog (again. oops.) so figured I'd do some catching up posts in the meantime. Mike and I have started watching a new show Hunters and that's been a nice escape from the news and realities of what's going on. But mostly we are in a constant back-and-forth state of reading the news and social media and trying to sift through what is real and what isn't. Super fun ;-)
I am wishing and hoping and praying SO HARD that these 'months long' predictions are wrong and we can kick this much faster than other countries (wishful thinking, I'm sure) and resume to life as we know it sooner than later. I get on the verge of tears thinking about the kids and all that they were looking forward to coming up (baseball season for P, the final months before their big dance recital for the girls, Rosie's last days of preschool, Patrick's end of the year fun for 1st grade, Teddy finally getting older and enjoying more adventures, our family vacation in June, all of the summer camps for the big kids, trips to the pool, and so much more) -- and I keep reminding myself that this is temporary and all of this 'staying in' will be worth it for our future...which will hopefully be so much longer and this will just seem like a minor hiccup looking back. I pray so hard for that. And praying that there is indeed a big baby boom next winter and I get a crapload of birth bookings to make up for the lull right now. Also super duper thankful for electricity, the internet, streaming services, delivery services, my iPhone, and a whole crapload of other things that are making this a little less painful. Can you imagine doing this sans modern conveniences?!?!? YIKESSSSS. I'd die without my devices that's for sure 😆
So what do we do now?! We wait and stay home and flatten that curve and pray so hard this is on the way out. That scientists hurry to quickly find medicine that combat this virus and develop a vaccine in record time.
Until then, we'll be watching a lot of TV, reading a lot of books, getting outside and playing (as soon as we get some nicer weather!), having lots of family time, doing a little bit of school work, taking lots of pictures (gotta keep up my social media presence for my business!), making oodles of family memories, maybe a bit of cleaning and organizing, and trying as hard as we can to not go down any rabbit holes of despair with doom and gloom. WE WILL get through this. It will be hard and tough and definitely a completely ratchet away from our norm, but I am confident we will and hopefully learn a lot of lessons about a wholllllleeeeee lotta things along the way.
Stay safe friends, stay healthy, wash those hands, and stay home.
