COVID two years and two months in.

Nothing but tradeoffs and triage.

COVID: Two years. Two months. Tradeoffs. Triage.

Before I dig in: I readily confess I like alliteration a little too much. Don’t @ me :)

Recently a few people I know who had not yet gotten COVID got COVID.

Recently a few people I know who had gotten COVID before, even twice before, got it a third time.

Recently (as in two days ago) I took yet another at-home test because my allergy attack symptoms are pretty indistinguishable from “mild” COVID symptoms. Negative. Again. Yes, even though COVID is all around us, and even though it seems inevitable, the truth is that more than 40% of Americans have not gotten it. That’s more than 130 million people if you’re wondering.

I continue to make my best effort to remain in that cohort.

Lately, I’ve been putting it this way: I prioritize being able to be maskless around my 82-year old mother over being maskless in public spaces around people I don’t know. People can look at me strangely. People can think I’m “living in fear” or “letting fear control me,” but it’s really this simple.

For that matter, my Starbucks baristas, who know my name and my order, are mostly still wearing masks too. I care more about them than random judgy strangers.

Come to think of it: Health care providers (whether mine or my mom’s) are wearing masks. I care more about them too.

I know it rains on the parade of people who want nothing more to be “back to normal” when some of us remind them that nothing is normal by continuing to wear masks. I don’t care about those people.

(Although, at the same time, I care about them more than they seem to care about themselves because my mask protects them too.)

These are the tradeoffs I’m making. And yet, I’m not doing nothing. I’m not sequestered. I’m living a life…with some minor adjustments.

I went to a pro-abortion rally last weekend. I went to an indoor benefit for the Center for Reproductive Rights a couple of weeks ago in current hot spot SF. I go for a walk every day, and stop in the aforementioned Starbucks every day too. I’ve gone out to dinner. And I’ve got a cross-country trip coming up in two weeks.

But I’m wearing masks indoors in public spaces without fail. And I’m using testing (and getting family to use tests too) before social occasions with people I do know. I stay mostly outdoors (thank you California weather) and windows open if not. And even if I’m masked I still think about social distancing around other people, especially if I don’t know them or they’re unmasked. (And goes without saying I’m vaxxed and double boosted.)

These seem like small things to me.

Every person I know who has gotten it pretty much knows where and when, whether there was one opportunity or several. So, I’m sticking with the small things that make a big difference. Just out here doing my best.

How are you all hanging in? I’m trying to stay really chill about doing the small things (even though I seem to get hotter wearing a mask than I used to. Thanks #menopause. Or thanks climate change, maybe).

How’s it going out there for you? Leaved a comment, check in, it’s been a while since we’ve had this conversaion.

Last week-ish

None of my above comments should imply that I haven’t found these past two years and two months traumatic in my own way. The combo of pandemic and political and societal upheaval that we’ve all been experiencing feels unique in my lifetime, if for no other reason than the global ubiquitous nature of what we’re experiencing. And eventually shared trauma does work its way into art. Episode 79 of The Op-Ed Page podcast is about how trauma response underlies so much of the media I’m consuming lately.

The episode is perfect for you if you read or watch a lot of genre fiction. I mean genre in the publishing sense…the industry calls scifi, romance, fantasy, and so on novels “genre” fiction. I was blown away by a recent episode of Marvel’s Moon Knight, and it reminded me that the first show I could bring myself to watch during year one of the pandemic that wasn’t light and unquestionably “feel-good” was WandaVision, also Marvel. And an examination of the sometimes unintended consequences of great grief. Genre media that explores trauma response has been a really accessble way for me to experience catharsis, because I can’t stand watching anything that feels too much like right now…like, I can read the news if I want to be traumatized by this very moment, you know?

Anyway, I really enjoyed teasing out the common threads of trauma in shows like Bridgerton, Star Trek: Picard, and Moon Knight, among others, so I hope you’ll give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Some other tidbits from the past week:

My latest byline for the Shutterstock blog: How to have fun at work, featuring an interview with workplace play expert, Jeff Harry.

My friend Susan McPherson is always working on cool stuff with do-gooding clients, so this week I’m sharing an ode to all her good work in the world: She shared the Don’t Ban Equality initiative she is spearheading to get more companies to speak up for reproductive justice, this Street Business School infographic that the org created based on research that shows how training women how to run a business can make a big impact on their lives and their communities, and this conversation she had with another one of my heroes, Shannon Watts the founder of Moms Demand Action. Susan is a serial connector, and it really seems like she’s connected to everyone and anyone doing good in the world. So here’s to you friend 😽

Coming this week-ish

On Thursday I’m attending a virtual forum about homelessness in my area, since that is the local issue I’m most concerned about. It’s being moderated by the CEO of a great organization called Destination: Home, also the creators of this primer on homelessness here. The truth is that many families are one bad event away from losing their housing. And Destination: Home calculates that it typically costs them around $5K to prevent someone from losing their home. Meanwhile once they are homeless our cities and counties are spending far more to deliver services to them. I’ve heard even educated (and liberal) folks make wild claims about the causes and reasons for homelessness. I’ve seen them assume that all of the unhoused people in the area are exactly like the few they see when they go to certain places. They often know nothing (and think nothing) of the unhoused who are basically in hiding. This primer corrects these assumptions. if you’re not in my area, the event and the primer may nonetheless be helpful, but I hope you’ll look for similar organizations in your area.

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on any or all of the above. This is basically my blog now! And as always I appreciate a share of this newsletter or my podcast.

And if I can help you break through the things that are keeping you stuck, set up your first introductory 30-minute consult for free by booking it in my Calendly. And you can always check out my new LinkedIn Learning Course, Telling Stories That Stick, a 57 minute course on crafting your stories for different audiences (media, investors, prospects, hiring managers) and making sure those stories stick…and convey exactly what you hope to convey.