Items

• 2021-02-01

  Covid-19 in One Word VI: Exhausting

  This word comes from a peer, an over-worker overthinker, someone who lost much in the pandemic. Exhausting: extremely tiring Too much of anything is tiring. Too much of a bad thing is exhausting. It’s like never being able to shut your eyes and take a rest. There is no break from living in a pandemic. Leave the house for a break? Mask. Relax with friends? Social distance. Go out for a fun time? Entertainment closed. We are not living in a pandemic; we are living the pandemic. This means there are no breaks. There are no pauses. There are no escapes. Even when you get tired of living this way, you still have to do it. That makes things exhausting almost daily for some people. So where can people go for relief? When it all gets too much, how do you find rest? This is something many people have had to find the answer to during this time of isolation. Without a determined end in sight, it is crucial that people learn how to live in a world permanently changed. For some, this has taken a mental form in meditation, yoga, writing, art expression. For others, physical outlets such as running, lifting, creative ways to stay active, new sports, and more have helped give breaks from a crazy world. Most have tried many new hobbies with various successes and failures. On the other hand, for some, this has been the break. Without corporate ties and office hostages, people are finding themselves more relaxed now than they have been for years. Being home has opened families to more time together and opportunities to grow closer. Still, even these people, at times, find this new life exhausting. In all cases, too much of this pandemic is exhausting.
• 2020-11-01

  Covid-19 in One Word V: Introspective

  This word comes from a motivated woman, a photographer, and a traveller. Introspective: characterized by examination of one's own thoughts and feelings Most people, in times of trouble, look outward for support--or blame. But when everyone is kept more than an arm’s length away, the only person close enough to seek answers from is yourself. So when Covid-19 shut the world down, it brought the focus to a more internal source. During this time of uneasiness, the only comfort we could find had to be within ourselves. This means we became self-aware, and some started self-growth. Without others to rely on, we had to strengthen ourselves to be the shoulder we cry on. This means we reevaluated our values and if changes needed to be made, we started on those. It’s not like we didn’t have extra time to kill. With this new perspective, a forced perspective, much change occurred in almost everyone, good or bad, intentional or unintentional. But no matter where it came from, all of this change came from covid. Because when we are isolated, it’s important to acknowledge whether we like our company or not.
• 2020-11-01

  Covid-19 in One Word IV: Enlightening

  This word comes from a woman who lost her job and found a new one. Enlightening: give greater knowledge and understanding about a subject or situation Now, this may initially seem backwards, but maybe it is on track. While many bad things came out of having Covid-19 around, not all things were bad. Having the whole world stop forced people to stop as well. Things slowed down, if only for a small moment of time. But in that slowing, when the outside world seemed to go quiet, the inside world had time to be heard. This pause, for some, became a time of self-reflection, a time of learning more about the one you see in the mirror, or learning more about a range of other things. In any sense, it became a time where knowledge was expanded. We better understand what matters to us and what things are worth our time. We forgot about pleasantries and moved into making connections beyond a smile, because those can’t be seen. While some may argue that putting distance created emotional differences, others have found that in this time of being apart, some things came together with more understanding of yourself and the world around you. So while the times of this virus have been undeniably dark, there may have been some light as well.
• 2020-11-01

  Covid-19 in One Word III: Consuming

  This word comes from someone who lost their graduation, a new adult. Consuming: completely filling one's mind and attention; absorbing A pandemic. We are in a pandemic. How could you think of anything else? When a bustling world came to a jolting stop, almost everyone was forced to reevaluate their priorities and what they place focus on. In the settling of this, most find one thing constantly at the front of their minds, Covid-19. With businesses closed, schools online, and people dying, it is hard to ignore the impact this virus has had. Although it has been much talked about and maybe even tried, returning to “normal” has proven to be a possibly impossible endeavor. It almost feels as if we are drowning in covid and all of its implications. If you feel this way, you are not alone. It can be a daunting task attempting to find the light in this tunnel, but we will and one day it will all be okay again, even if it is not “normal”.
• 2020-11-01

  Covid-19 in One Word II: Over-exaggerated

  This word comes from a college student, a peer leader, and a girl who got those taken away this year. Over-exaggerated: to exaggerate (something) to an excessive degree, specifically a threat, danger, risk or its effect, impact, or importance Capturing this opinion of many, over-exaggerated, is meant to label something that misconstrues the truth by making it seem greater in importance than it actually is. Many people consider not the virus, but the media coverage of it, to be doing just that. It has become difficult to see what is true and what is lies. The line between accuracy and entertainment have become intertwined. In the race to reveal numbers and give advice on safety, rash decisions may have been made in what is put out to the public as news. This news informs a major population, and if it is misrepresenting the truth, that could be a very big issue. Now it is important to understand that there are good and true news sources. There are also sources that do the best with what they are given, which may not be pure truth. In this ever-intensifying war of words, citizens seeking to be informed must often sift through loads of over-exaggerated content to uncover the full truth. The situation of Covid-19 is no different.
• 2020-11-01

  Covid-19 in One Word I: Introduction

  Perspective: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view We can really only see from our eyes, literally. But figuratively, we have unlimited perspectives from which to view the world. The idea of this is what inspired this series. I know how the coronavirus pandemic looks to me, how it affects me, how I feel about it. What I do not know, is how those things look, affect, and feel to others. So, I asked others. Anyone and everyone in my life; family, friends, leaders, peers, strangers. I wanted to know what one word those people would use to describe their experience with Covid-19. This series will be the words they chose and a bit of perspective behind those. So while you may still not be leaving your house, this will take you to the life of another. One word at a time.
• 2020-10-15

  Covid-19 in One Word: Present

  I was on Spring Break during my senior year of high school when my school closed because of covid. They said it would be closed for one week, then two, then a month, then until next fall. No one knew what was going to happen. How will classes work? How will finals work? Will we have graduation? Can we go to college? What's gonna happen? The virus itself is scary and intimidating, but arguably more so is the uncertainty it brought to everyone's life around the world. No one could answer all of our questions. No one knew what would happen, and still, no one knows what the future holds. This uncertainty caused fear in almost everyone. Not knowing what will happen or how things will turn out, is a very uneasy feeling. This also caused fear. Now, this was a dangerous thing; fear weakens the immune system. As soon as I understood this, I realized I could not live this way. I needed to change my perspective or I would fall into the dark hole of fear of the unknown. So I decided to accept what was, let go of what was not, and be what is. I decided to focus purely on the present. This did not come quickly or easily. Honestly, I am still having to choose daily to focus on what I can control in my life at this moment. Every day is different. Some days I smile into the sun without a care of what the world will throw at me. Other days, I sit in bed wondering what could possibly go right. But despite it all, I remain in the present, the only place to truly be. This is why instead of thinking of everything covid has caused me to miss or how long it will last, I am focusing on the opportunities I have now, the new connections I can make, and the ways I can live in spite of this pandemic. That is why my one word for Covid-19 is present. Although covid may be horrible, it offers us the gift to learn how to live in the presence of uncertainty.