Abby Lawrence
Current city, state, country: Minneapolis, MN, USA
My profession: R&D Scientist at Medtronic
This pandemic makes me feel like: I had ACL surgery four weeks ago, so I have spent the majority of the last month at home, on the couch, not doing much and fairly isolated. I feel frustrated that just as I am ready to get back at it and do life again the world is shutting down. I feel like life has been on hold and that's not going to change anytime soon.
This pandemic makes me think: There are a lot of things going on that I not only have no control over, but that we don't know anything about. All we know is that it's bad.
This pandemic makes me hope/pray for: I hope that people take this seriously and make decisions based on everyone's best interest, not just their own. Even though there aren't necessarily "right" answers about how to handle this, staying home, not hoarding supplies, some of these things seem like they should be common sense.
If I had Three Wishes: 1) I wish that leveling the curve works the way they think it will and doesn't cause this to drag on long enough that we unleash a whole separate set of problems.
2) I wish that hospitals and health care providers are able to get the supplies they need to stay safe while caring for patients.
3) I'll go for broke on number 3 and wish that nobody looses their business or restaurant or home and that everyone that was laid off gets their job back.
What I think of the government’s response: Even though it is impossible to know the "right" way to handle things, I am not very impressed. Trump and Pence remain terrible. The undersupply of tests is terrifying, and the xenophobic wartime analogy is inappropriate and unproductive. I will say though, I think the state of Minnesota has done an ok job. The communication has been as consistent as possible and they have made me feel like they are taking this seriously and thinking through decisions before making them.
Predictions for when this will get better/end: I'm guessing mid summer, but I hope the numbers start going down by May.
What I have in my fridge/freezer and pantry: As long as the grocery stores stay open (and I stay healthy) I'm trying to shop and cook normally. But I do have plenty of chocolate, crackers, la croix, and protein bars. And I have a few extra bags of frozen veggies and fruit in the freezer.
Before this pandemic, my plans for the next 6 months were: Rehabbing my knee, which shouldn't change a whole lot, thankfully. A trip to Nashville with my boyfriend in April got cancelled, and I typically go to a lot of concerts and baseball games. But overall, luckily, I don't have anything major or irreplaceable being derailed. I am very fortunate.
Ways I’m coping: Meditation. Reading. Knitting a blanket. Video chats. Stretching the definition of a silver lining. Not holding it in- I cried for an hour earlier today.
Creative things to do with kids: What about writing a story together? Then you/they can paint or draw the illustrations. I feel like finding constructive things to do as a family might help give all the togetherness a positive spin, but I don't have kids, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
General advice/thoughts/anxieties to share with others: Society's definitions and expectations for social interaction were already changing and being remolded. I am a person that is a little wary of technology defining our interpersonal relationships. Between online dating and twitter I see a lot of behaviors that make me nervous becoming norms. But right now, technology is saving us. In times of trouble humans turn to each other for help. Even from a selfish standpoint- helping others feels good. But we are limited in how we can lean on our friends, family and community right now. I am very interested to see how communication and relationships change as this progresses. When it's all over, will we value in-person contact more? Or is this just going to accelerate our shift towards dependence on virtual interactions? Or maybe things will go back to the way they were before...we'll see.