COVID-19
I received word from my current company on Friday the 13th (wow what a coincidence) that all offices around the world will close and will continue to operate with a mandatory WFH policy. By this time, larger tech companies such as Linkedin, Lyft, Uber, etc. had already implemented a WFH policy to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
I left the office that Friday evening with a twist in my stomach that echoed through every vein in my body. I couldn’t shake the thought that this was only the beginning of a dramatic change in my day to day life. Although we had a return day set by my company, it felt more like a formality than the light at the end of the tunnel. A stranger’s dog came up to me on the street and I couldn’t help myself and ask the owner if I could pet his dog because “I was going through it.” Thank you random dog walker.
It’s a weird time. How do I know that? Everyone keeps saying it. (Myself included)
The CDC has gone back and forth on the general public wearing masks. Better safe than sorry at this point and from my perspective it sounds like this has the potential of being the new normal. I got this masks during the Santa Rosa fires a few years back.
The days leading up to the mandatory WFH announcement included an eerie feeling floating in the air My morning commute had never been faster.(door to door was under 30, usually 45) and there was a noticeable increase in the number of people wearing masks. Less people were out in general. SoMA was a ghost town during lunch hour on a Friday.
WFH hasn’t been all that bad. I’ve been telling myself that in the mirror everyday in confidence for the past 2 weeks. I think it’s starting to click. Establishing a WFH routine is no small feat by any means. My commute time drastically reduced to 10 seconds since my bed and my desk are in the same room. At least I get to make my own coffee (and every other meal of the day). I’m a workaholic by nature. Work and play become blended together when you takeaway the physical location aspect. I tend to work too long with fewer breaks because walking away from my desk longer than 10 minutes feels irresponsible. This is only my second month into this new job and a global pandemic is happening. I don’t think any job experience prepared me for this but it also wasn’t in the job description so fair play?
To distract myself from reading the news every 15 minutes, I’ve thrown myself into this new job. My flow is strong for the time being yet there will be a break point, it’s only a matter of time until I discover what that will be. Don’t fret, I’m still sleeping! My workout schedule is out of sync and so is my cooking, but I still have a job so I can’t shouldn’t complain.
My initial perspective of this lockdown would result in creative experiments, finishing all those books that I never had time to finish, and catching on sleep.
Surprise: it isn’t.
I’m bummed I can’t go see my family. I canceled multiple trips for the next coming months. Outside of my roommate, I haven’t interacted with anyone face-to-face. I can’t remember the last time i hugged someone either. Social distancing is an optimistic spin on physical isolation. Although this is the right course of action for everyone’s health, I’m beginning to wallow in frustration.
I’ve learned my introversion is not as deep as I once thought it would be. I enjoy being surrounded by social people in environments that force me to interact with people while looking them directly in the eyes. Not all the time, but I’ve come to learn that my disdain for it was foolishly overestimated. I can’t wait to step into a bar again. Imagine that feeling after this is all over.
My outlook on this pandemic is optimistic but the process won’t be easy to endure. This section will be used to keep track of all of the things i will be doing over the next few weeks.
The next door neighbor’s kids are keeping their spirits high with sidewalk chalk drawing. I asked if I could draw something with their blue piece of chalk but they looked at me like I was an alien. They were white. I dont blame them, I would have ruined the synergy on their artwork.