Michael Byersdorf currently serves as the Senior Aquatics Director for the Morgan Family YMCA. He shares his thoughts on what it has been like to work through a pandemic for the past two years.
Fear, panic, frustration, excitement, and grace. These five words are the first that come to mind when I think of the last two+ years of living through the pandemic. Initially fear set in as we were learning of coronavirus around the world, and not knowing what this meant for us as individuals or as an organization. Next, panic set in. Mass purchasing of toilet paper and shelf-stable goods happened in every store. Shelves were empty and you purchased whatever goods you could to make meals at home for the foreseeable future. At this point, we were still working, but you could sense something big was coming. The world came to a stop, we all stayed home to protect ourselves and others, and the waiting game began.
We all waited, and waited, and waited. Two weeks turned into six weeks, then six weeks turned into three months. Most of us were stuck at home, entertaining our kids, or teaching virtual classes. Some of us kept pushing forward in our work to support many essential frontline workers (THANK YOU Child Care team!) This is where frustration came into play. We grew frustrated that the waiting game kept getting longer, and it felt like the “light at the end of the tunnel” was getting further and further away.
Next came excitement. Our state had a plan to re-open many public spaces, including the Y. Many of us felt excitement that we could return to work, yet frustration at the same time knowing that things wouldn’t look the same way they did before. There was excitement growing that the world felt like it was going back to normal.
Throughout every stage of this pandemic, the theme that has been strongest would be grace. Giving others grace for making mistakes as we learned to live in a completely different way none of us have experienced before. Giving grace as we fumbled through understanding ever-changing guidelines, and enforcing mandates that frustrated many of us.
As we went through the roller coaster of this pandemic, each of these themes became relevant. As we reach yet another bump of the pandemic, remember to be kind to others, give grace, and smile – whether that’s with your eyes while behind a mask, or showing your great smile free from a mask!