Every day it’s pretty much the same. The same walls in the same rooms. The same desk I think about working at, but don’t. Instead, I’m back in that same spot on the couch. It’s not pretty. No bra, not a stitch of makeup, a crown of gray roots on my head and a blanket draped on my lap all day as I attend back-to-back Zoom meetings, field calls and type away on my computer as I tackle my things-to-do list. And then I eventually go to bed and I wake up and start again. Every day is pretty much the same. And it still feels weird.
But I’m one of the lucky ones — and I know it.
I don’t have to put my life on the line to help others. I’m not working on the front lines stocking grocery store shelves, delivering packages or trying to save patients’ lives. I’m just an editor of a local parenting magazine, working with a fantastic team of people to try to keep our little enterprise going during this unprecedented time.
And I feel so grateful.
Grateful I still have a job. Grateful I have a home to shelter in. Grateful for my co-workers whose faces I miss seeing in the flesh. Grateful my mom is safe even if I can’t see her as much as she and I would like. Grateful I have food, even if I can’t always locate everything I’d like. Grateful for the friends who’ve shown up for me during this time. The texts or calls to just let me know they are thinking of me. Grateful for the opportunity to check in on others and let them know they aren’t alone in this. Grateful for you.
Really, truly. I’m so proud of each and every one of you and all you are enduring so beautifully right now. Home schooling, working, trying to keep the peace, trying to keep your sanity. You are all amazing and I’m so grateful that maybe, just maybe, our little magazine and MetroParent.com are helping you in even the smallest way.
This month’s issue is, for the second time in our 30-plus year history, digital only. Distributing a print magazine doesn’t make sense right now, for you or for our advertisers. But it’s still chock-full of some great information, like why it’s OK if your kids are bored. Good thing, right? Readers sharing some of the lessons they will take away from this unprecedented time. A guide to telemedicine, something that’s more important now than ever. I hope you enjoy digitally flipping through this issue. I’m grateful we have a vehicle to get Metro Parent to you — even if it’s not in the format we’re used to.
And I’m hopeful that June will be different. No more hours spent working from my couch, a chance to see a few more people and the start of life getting back to normal. For that, I’d be beyond grateful.
Stay safe.
