The more we resist something, the longer it stays | Nina Miller | Unbiased Narrative 2.0
24 Jan 2022
To Covid-19,
Thank you for the profound lessons you brought to us. I will try and keep a respectful distance from you. I hope things will work out as they are meant to be. With all due respect, you are welcome to leave anytime.
We lost our dog before the pandemic and I had made a deposit to adopt a dog. When we got the adoption confirmation in May 2020 for a newborn puppy, we were thinking about whether we should get a puppy in a pandemic or not. Henry has been a bright light for us. Puppies are so therapeutic. I am always occupied with taking care of him, training him, taking him for a walk. It forces me to go out.
I think when I first heard about the pandemic, it felt distant. I just couldn’t imagine how it would impact me. I remember purchasing N-95 masks in February 2020. There was lots of it in stock then. I bought them mainly for my husband. I did not consider it this seriously.
Early 2020, I got hired as a Library Champions Project Facilitator with NewToBC. I was making all the arrangements to meet the librarians. But things changed quickly in a couple of weeks. Everything was closed down and we were not meeting people anymore. I think our project was scrambling. We were trying to figure out the way forward. Fortunately, I had experience in delivering online classes previously. I was happy to use those skills to transition online. It was a positive challenge!
As part of my work, I keep meeting new library champions and provide a medium for people to connect. I feel very connected. I did not feel isolated.
Personally, I consider myself very fortunate to have a second home on Sunshine Coast. In Vancouver, we live in a townhouse complex. It is a crowded locality and I felt nervous while visiting grocery stores etc. But, there are not many people on the Sunshine Coast. I feel more relaxed after moving. Although I miss my daughters here, I am privileged that my husband and I can work from home. I am very lucky that I could experience the quiet wildlife here.
I hate to say, these two years have been horrible for many people. I remember seeing the news, clips of all the deaths and misery, political unrest across. I was not scared personally but I was worried for the people I love and care about. My best friend also lives on Sunshine Coast. She lost her husband a few months before the pandemic. She was in our bubble and I was so happy to be around her through these tough times.
I actually had a realistic outlook that the pandemic is long-term. I had it in my mind that this is a huge shift. It is an indicator of the changes happening on our earth. The recent climate catastrophes in BC are also bringing home the reality of human-caused ecological destruction. Social unrest also concerns me. This pandemic has intensified the difference between rich and poor. Poor suffered more. Some had to work in unsafe working conditions with no options to isolate.
I do not think we will go back to the previous ways. There are things that we learned and can look forward to. There are many benefits of working remote/ blended for businesses and education. There was a profound shift in how we adapted. It was inspiring to see that there is a way for society to change. Perhaps, there is a chance for our environment to heal.
(Nina Miller is an educator by profession and has been living in beautiful British Columbia since 1982.)
