Denise Landis shares her thoughts on what it's been like to work through the pandemic. Denise currently serves as the Senior Member Services Director at the Morgan Family Y.
About two weeks ago, I was asked to share my perspective of working through the pandemic. So many things ran through my head at that specific moment. If you know me at all, I tend to procrastinate on certain things. One of those is writing about myself or my perspective. I share this because I did just that. As with everything, a reason always comes to light. Today, March 13, officially marks two years since we taught our last swim lessons before closing due to the pandemic. Two days later our doors were closed. During this time, guidelines were shifting quickly. It felt like one minute we were scrubbing the pool getting things ready for when we could reopen and the next minute it was announced we would not be allowed back into the building. So many emotions, so many questions, and so many unknowns.
For the next month, our teams would work hard to bring the Y to life through social media. People taught classes from their garages, living rooms, kitchens, and bathtubs. We utilized our kids and pets as teaching examples. We were getting creative. People were definitely stepping outside their comfort zones. Mistakes were being made left and right, but that was ok. We were learning and growing together - we were in it together! We lifted each other up! We hosted game nights and drive-by birthday parties! We removed barriers! We sent treats via Uber Eats! We met in parking lots! What once took place within four walls was now taking place without walls crossing many counties. Our reach was expanding in ways we never knew possible. Without us knowing, we started working as #OneY! All of us, regardless of position, learned the importance of transparency, trust, grace, and assuming good intent. Some days were easier than others, but we never lost hope!
Then it happened, Charlie and his team had to deliver probably one of the hardest messages in their lifetime. On April 14 we received an email that stated we were being furloughed effective May 1, 2020. I remember sitting on my deck and opening the email. My initial reaction was to cry and boy did I cry. I knew it was coming, but still held out hope that it would not happen. It was so hard to wrap my mind around. Was my 30-year career really going to come to an end this way? I was going through all the emotions, all the feels, all the questions. To be honest, I cannot remember a lot of what transpired after that day. I do however remember the last day I saw my team face to face. We were sitting in the parking lot, having coffee, laughing, talking, crying, and just enjoying each other’s company one last time. At that moment, nothing else mattered. It was just the four of us sitting in the parking lot where you could still smell chlorine. Go figure :)! We then transitioned into the Y, sat on the pool deck, and together wrote a final letter to our amazing aquatics team.
The next four months are a blur. To be honest, I have been wrestling with how to sum up this timeframe. Regardless of whether you were furloughed or you continued employment with the Y, it was tough. Heavy lifting was happening all around.
After a long, unexpected “summer break” the text messages started flying. The time had come for us to reopen our Y. We had no idea what it would look like or what the expectation would be, but we were reopening. I received a call from Jose letting me know I was being recalled back to Morgan. During this call, he shared that not everyone would be returning, which I already knew. My offer letter was in my email a couple of hours later. I remember reading it and having mixed emotions. I was extremely thankful that I was being given another opportunity to impact our community, but there were going to be people not returning.
It’s now March 14, 2022, and I sit at home drinking a cup of coffee. TODAY will be the first day I walk into our Y in 23 months not wearing a mask during business hours. It will be the first day I see some of my staff's actual faces. YES, we have been open since September 7, 2020, but TODAY is our Grand Opening! Today marks a turning point! Today, some members will walk through our doors for the first time since we closed. There is a good chance they are going to think we are running and operating as we were on March 1, 2020. They will think things are back to “normal”. The expectations are going to be high. The pace is going to be fierce. At the end of the day, it’s going to take a lot of energy and drive, but it will be great! We have worked hard to get to this point!! Our association has come together in ways we never thought possible. As we enter this next season, please remember the following:
- Drink Water and don’t forget to eat!
- Take care of each other
- The importance of unplugging
- Go home
- Sleep
- Be present (personally and professionally)
- We can accomplish anything if we all pull on the rope together!
And sometimes, you need to break for a random office dance party or break the rules and stand on the counter and sing at the top of your lungs.