Growing in a Shrinking World

The pandemic has caused my world to shrink dramatically. I hardly ever even leave my own zipcode these days. There are people and places I have not seen in well over a year. The neighborhood of the office I used to work in felt as familiar as the back of my hand, but at this point I have no idea when I will ever return. My world has undoubtedly become much smaller than I could have ever imagined back in 2019. Nevertheless, I have witnessed and experienced a tremendous amount of growth in this small world. Shortly before the pandemic, I gave birth to an adorable baby boy. Watching him grow and interact with the world around him is a constant reminder that time is not standing still, we are making progress forward, just not in the way we're used to. I have grown into my role as a mother. I have skills and dreams and experiences that were beyond my imagination pre-pandemic. All this time at home has given me an extremely detailed knowledge of the ecosystem that is in my own yard. I can recognize plants and animals in various stages in their lifecycles and see that they too continue to grow in my small world. I have grown in my sense of gratitude too. I have learned that I am extremely lucky to have a house, a yard, and the means of staying in touch with friends and family even when I can't be physically near them. Life in the age of Covid-19 has presented me with numerous challenges and setbacks, but each one has shown me that there is still room to grow and flourish, even when things feel much smaller.