Solveig Ellingboe
My Social media: @solveig_elise, solveigellingboe.com
Current city, state, country: Boulder, CA, USA
My profession: Graphic Designer
This pandemic makes me feel like: Strange, anxious, and definitely uneasy. Like I don't know what the future holds. Like I'm dealing with a very odd type of grief.
This pandemic makes me think: About our collective future, and how we're going to learn from this.
This pandemic makes me hope/pray for: Swift decisions and strong leadership from elected officials, universal healthcare, an answer to "what on earth is going to happen". Hope and safety for our most vulnerable populations.
If I had Three Wishes: I would wish for my loved ones' dreams to still be fulfilled, for peace and unity to be the things we take away from this, and for this glaring failure of our current President to be his legacy, downfall, and shame.
What I think of the government’s response: I think that state and local governments are doing their best in the face of deep failure from our federal leaders.
Before this pandemic, my plans for the next 6 months were: To keep working with my current clients as usual, take a few trips (including one to Washington State to see my little sister graduate college) and prepare to move with my husband back to our home of Minnesota. These plans are still somewhat on track, but deeply uncertain as to what kinds of circumstances we'll face as we approach each of our milestones. Will we still be able to visit Washington, even with her graduation cancelled? Is it smart to stay in Colorado for our whole lease? Will we be able to find jobs of any kind when we get back to Minnesota? Will my work continue as expected? My husband's job has already been disrupted since he's a personal trainer. There are so many questions, so many things that feel up in the air. We're just taking it day by day right now.
Predictions for when this will get better/end: I honestly don't know. I want to be optimistic and say that we'll start to emerge from all of this in a month or so. I think the longer-term issues (like lost income and the blow to the economy) will linger for a while. I have to believe that we will come out of this with a different perspective on what's important and how we treat one another. And what we expect of our elected leaders.
What I have in my fridge/freezer and pantry: Lots of flour, eggs, and butter! We both bake (bread, desserts, etc) and we make our own pasta! It's actually been nice to have so much time to cook and bake as we please! A silver lining :) We've got homemade chicken stock going right now, and my husband is making mushroom risotto for dinner!
Ways I’m coping: Talking to loved ones daily, having fun with my husband (we went to a playground in the middle of a snowstorm today and played on the swings, slides, fell in the snow, and just laughed), and doing my best to limit (but not ignore) the amount of news that's coming in. I'm also creating a digital gratitude journal on Instagram - trying to put positive content into the world, I guess.
Creative things to do with kids: I don't have kids, but when I was little we were always encouraged to go outside! Go on exploratory walks, or just play in the yard. We also did puzzles a lot as kids and played board games! I also think teaching kids to cook is a great thing at any age :)
General advice/thoughts/anxieties to share with others: I work from home all the time so this working-remotely situation isn't new for me! Everyone is sharing the basics like give yourself a "morning" (aka don’t get up 5 minutes before your workday starts), get some exercise/vitamin D throughout the day, get dressed, make a to-do list, etc. I think maybe the biggest advice that I can give is to be gentle with yourselves. This doesn't have to be a time of ultimate productivity. This can be a time of pause, reflection, and quiet. We don't have to always be creating or working. By all means, if you feel inspired, follow that drive! But if you complete your must-do tasks and then feel done for the day, be done. We're all in a time of immense overwhelm and pressure and newness, and expecting "normal" amounts of motivation or productivity just isn't realistic. Let yourself breathe, let yourself cry, let yourself talk about nothing, let yourself just be. I think that's enough for right now.