One year later.
The anniversary of the week a global pandemic shut our nation down is an important time to reflect and take stock.
For some of us, signs of spring are arriving. Efforts to overcome this pandemic are starting to pay off. We can finally allow ourselves to imagine hugging a grandchild or gathering with loved ones again. A light is emerging at the end of the tunnel.
And some of us will be grappling with COVID’s impacts long after it’s in our rear-view mirror. We’ve lost income, stability, or a loved one to the virus. We’re facing long-term mental health challenges as part of our new reality.
Despite the range of our experiences, many of us are longing to share what we’ve been through. Structured conversation helps us process grief, integrate growth, and understand how our experiences connect to others, so we can create a more healthy and peaceful society.
How we recollect this year can influence our new normal. Our memories and the stories we tell ourselves and each other about this difficult time in our history will be passed down for generations.
Will we tell the story of how we come together to care for each other? How slowing down helped us realized what was truly essential? How we saw the impact of racial disparities in so much of our lives?
Just as hearing stories about The World Wars and The Great Depression shaped our country, so too will we shape who we are and who we will become by intentionally reflecting as we begin the shift to post-pandemic life.
As we emerge, we are changed. And this pivotal, tender moment in our lives—the likes of which many of us have never experienced—offers a tremendous opportunity.
By not only shaping our own stories, but by listening to others whose pandemic experience has been very different from our own, can we stand a chance to become better.
Here are a few resources to support your reflection and transition process:
- Invite others to attend an Introduction to Living Room Conversations. The next events are on March 18 and 25.
- Attend a race conversation: From Intra- to Inter-Racial Conversation Pathway on March 22 & 29
- Have conversations using these relevant guides:
- Be on the lookout for a new Coronavirus Reflection and Transition Conversation Guide coming soon.
We are so grateful to spend our days surrounded by people putting in the work to grow in understanding ourselves, each other, and the human experience we share. Even on days when it feels like we’re hitting the pandemic wall, you fuel our hope.
Thank you.
Warmly yours,
Shannon Mannon
Editor