The COVID Coaster
Last week was the anniversary of Shit Getting Real, and I mentioned that I had planned on documenting the rollercoaster that is COVID-19 for my weekly blog post, but I felt it was too exhausting.
Well, this week I’m feeling a whole lot more hopeful, so let’s do it!
But first, a story…
It’s Saturday, March 20th. I’ve finally convinced Sean to watch this week’s This Is Us with me. (He cries every episode, so it takes a few days for him to work up the courage to watch it.) A commercial break comes along, and I decide to use it to put the chickens away. (I recently read about coyote mating season, and it has me a bit freaked out about the safety of my birds, so I put them away much earlier these days.)
While I’m out putting the birds away, I get a phone call on my watch from my girl Glori. I hate answering the phone on my watch because it’s nearly impossible to hear the person on the other end, so I decided I’d just call her back when I got inside. As I was walking back toward the house after putting the birds away, Glori started calling me again. Oh, no. Seems like an emergency.
I ran inside and grabbed my phone, and she was frantic on the other end.
Glori: Nat! Are you home?
Me: Yes, are you ok?
Glori: Can you be in Bradenton in five minutes?
Me (thinking): No way.
Me (speaking): Absolutely! Are you ok?
Glori: There’s a vaccine for you at CVS. They’ll hold it if you can get here ASAP.
SCORE!
The whole time I’m having this conversation, Sean is looking at me from the kitchen holding up a thumbs up and then a thumbs down and mouthing, “Who is it? Everything ok?” I told him the situation when I got off the phone, and he said somberly, “Only one extra?” I offered for him to take it, but before he even responded that no, I could have it, I was already out the door and heading toward Bradenton.
When I got to CVS and found Glori, we were both giddy. I was filling out the paperwork while she FaceTimed her mom (who took a photo of us through the phone 🥰) when I got a text from Sean.
Bless his heart.
I got the shot (and Sean got his coke), and I am officially Team Pfizer! Heading back on April 10th for my second dose, which means I’ll be fully vaccinated and good to go on April 24th. I didn’t think I could love Glori more until…
Monday evening, Sean went for a run and returned drenched in sweat, out of breath and with tons of adrenaline. “Glori found me a vaccine!” He threw his phone so I could figure out where it was while he ran to take a quick shower.
We had 20 minutes to get to Sarasota and claim this bad boy. Naturally, I drove because I’m much more comfortable speeding at efficient driving than Sean is.
(Sitting at a red light)
Sean: We’re not gonna make it. There’s no way.
Me: Just wait until we get on the interstate, and I can really open things up.
Sean: I’m just not even going to look at the speedometer.
Long story short, we made it, and Sean got his shot (and a sticker)!
My parents both got their first dose this week as well, and Sean’s mom got hers! (His dad is already fully vaccinated.) Needless to say, I am feeling a lot more hopeful now, and it’s actually starting to feel like things are beginning to return to normal.
SO! I’m ready to recap the year. Here it is, exactly as written by Unvaccinated Nat:
One year ago today, I was supposed to be getting on a plane to Oklahoma, but instead Sean and I started working from home.
I remember being really excited to have some time back in our days - it’s amazing how much time and effort it takes to get up, get ready, and commute to work - and I also remember thinking that we’d be home for a few days and then back to work as usual.
I think we all kind of felt that way at the beginning of this mess.
This is so crazy, right? But it’ll go away, right? Everything’s fine, right? We’re overreacting, right?
We were all this meme personified:
Of course, everything wasn’t ok, and we weren’t overreacting. And so I present a timeline of COVID reactions.
March 3rd, 2020: Our First Company Email re: Coronavirus
The gist of this email was: Maybe you’ve heard of this thing called COVID-19? We’re keeping an eye on it, but right now risk remains low. There are very few cases in the US, and over 80% of those who contract COVID-19 only have minor symptoms.
Actions:
No more international travel for business, but domestic travel is fine
Increased sanitation and cleaning efforts
Signs around the building reminding you to cover your coughs and sneezes and wash your hands
March 6th, 2020: Employee Appreciation Day
This was our last time having food left out for everyone to enjoy. RIP, Donut Fridays!
March 11th, 2020: A Cringe-Worthy Blog Post From Yours Truly
I wrote a blog post about how nervous I was about my 401k. It makes me cringe now (I’ve considered deleting it) because that was seriously sooo not a big deal, and now over 500,000 people have died. Millions have lost jobs.
March 16th, 2020: ALL the Things
Tons of company memos on March 16th. We found out we could wear jeans for the next two weeks. We were told that face-to-face meetings were no longer permitted, and that everything should be shared via email to reduce paper passing.
March 17th, 2020: Actually, Go Home
This was the day we found out we’d all be working remotely until the end of next week, unless we couldn’t perform our jobs from home. We were also instructed to stop spending money. Our cafeteria also shut down temporarily.
March 19th, 2020: All Stores are Closed
This was kind of a gut-punch. The fact that we all started working from home definitely produced a Shit Just Got Real moment, but closing down all of our stores? I think this was when quarantine became a little darker.
March 20th, 2020: Our Last Day at the Gym
We went to the gym this morning but felt kind of weird about it. At this point, everyone was pretty good about wiping down equipment in between each use, but it still just felt...wrong. So, this was the last day Sean and I stepped foot in a gym.
March 21st, 2020: Community Grocery Market Concept
Our cafeteria reopened as a community grocery market concept for all employees as a way of helping everyone get the items they needed while grocery stores were decimated.
March 22nd, 2020: Tiger King Begins
I’m not sure when this actually came out, but we started watching on March 22nd. This feels worthy of documentation because it’s all anyone talked about for a while.
March 25th, 2020: Pay Cuts
Wah-wah. We all saw this coming when the stores shut down. I don’t think anyone was surprised, but it still sucked.
Oh, this is also the day that Sean’s quarantine mustache was born.
April 1st, 2020: Remote Work is Required
Governor Trump, Jr. or whatever his name is issued a stay at home order for the state of Florida, so our company followed suit. Everyone is required to work from home unless essential. You had to present a special letter to be admitted to the office.
April 2nd, 2020: Box Dye Phase
We dyed Sean’s hair on April 2nd. It went beautifully with his quarantine mustache.
April 6th, 2020: Wear a Mask
The CDC officially announced everyone should start wearing masks. I remember the first time I wore one I felt so silly, like I was doing something super radical. Now, I feel like a slut going anywhere without one.
April 14th, 2020: Layoffs
We received an email this morning that the company was consolidating and eliminating positions as a result. Everyone affected by the layoffs would find out within an hour and a half. Sean and I went on a golf cart ride to get out of the house because we were both on the verge of puking.
April 15th, 2020: Stimulus Check #1
Our first stimulus check posted on what would have been Tax Day. (I think they extended the deadline in 2020?)
April 30th, 2020: Stores Begin to Reopen
The light at the end of the tunnel! I thought we were well on our way to a complete return to normal at this point. Never would have guessed we’d still be in this a year later.
May 1st, 2020: Office Officially Reopens
Back to work, we go! I worked from home until May 18th, but I was honestly kind of happy to go back to the office because it felt nice to have a sense of normalcy.
That’s as far as I got. Things felt relatively normal from June on because we were back at work, and it was pretty much business as usual. Beginning this week, we’re back to in-person meetings and self temperature checks. Our rotating remote schedule has also come to an end. Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled we were able to get vaccinated early and will sleep even easier once we get our second shots.
Consider this an open thank-you letter to Glori, who I’ve appropriately renamed Vaccine Queen.