I’ll begin by stating that I fully understand how difficult this time is for so many. I consistently worry about the welfare of my out-of-work friends, the health of my parents and others, and the incredibly uncertain future overall. But I also don’t have the complications that others face in quarantine: I don’t have to home-school any children during the pandemic, I’m lucky enough to still be working remotely, and quite honestly, I’ve always enjoyed my own company. That means that for now, my dog Abby June and I are doing just fine.
What I’ve found so interesting about this time is the ways in which I’ve flourished while adjusting to life working from home. Without my hour per day on the road, Abby and I can take longer walks, and I’ve found that working from home has enabled me to squeeze in my one mile run and yoga session whenever I can. While attempting to make grocery trips as brief as possible, my strict pre-written lists allow me to avoid impulse buys. I’ve also managed to incorporate much more creative thought into my work-anything ranging from research on how to make our labs more accessible for students with disabilities, to bringing female coworkers together for our podcast listening parties during which we enjoy Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work series!
Therefore, in the spirit of thinking positively, and seeing the upsides to this admittedly otherwise devastating time, I regularly try to take stock of the things that make me hopeful. Here are a few:
Resilience and creativity abound. Via my role at a health sciences center, I’m directly exposed to the creative teamwork that is erupting from multiple scientific labs; we also see this interdisciplinary approach mirrored by scientific teams all over the world in the wake of COVID-19. It’s also impossible to overlook the creative ways that folks in my neighborhood and beyond are educating their children, encouraging and honoring healthcare workers and other essential employees, and celebrating something so simple as birthdays-things we’ve considered routine in the past. We humans are also taking advantage of the great outdoors to relieve boredom, spend time with our quarantined groups, and to even creatively see those we are not quarantining with. I myself have been camping on the river by my parents’ house whenever I can!
My team is stronger than ever. My immediate office team checks in via Zoom at the beginning and end of the week, and it’s so nice to both see everyone’s faces, but also to understand the milestones they overcome as well as the challenges they still face in the wake of quarantine. We lean on each other and encourage each other. Given our office’s role at the HSC, we find ourselves even busier than when we were on site, and we have risen to the challenge with remarkable strength of spirit.
People are showering appreciation upon those who deserve it most and whom have probably rarely seen that amount of gratitude from the public. Most of us have never considered how crucial our mail carrier or our grocery store workers are. I am hopeful that as a result of COVID, none of us will ever take these essential workers for granted again.
Even as I try to immerse myself in positivity whenever possible, when I began writing this piece the tragic events surrounding George Floyd’s murder had not yet transpired. While this tragedy hardly fits in the with positive points outlined above, there is no denying that the resulting difficult, yet necessary conversations that people all over the world are being forced to take on are a benefit to society. My own team, along with companies, institutions and other groups nationally are beginning to take a proactive approach to diversity and inclusion as a result. Call me an eternal optimist, but I believe that even with COVID’s deadly grip on the world and the current civil unrest in our country, the time is right for positive change. However, it will take a lot of work and dedication. I encourage every one of my fellow communicators to create the forward progress you want to see in the world. It starts with all of us, working together to make our planet better than how we found it. Stay safe and be well, and may your inner optimist always guide you.
About the Author
Mallory A. Weaver is the Project Coordinator for the Office of Research and Graduate Education in the Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University. She leads and implements several interdisciplinary initiatives ranging from events to culture-shaping strategies that benefit the entire HSC. She is also the Publicity Manager of WVU’s chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success and was recently named the Director of Community Engagement for the University Chapter of the West Virginia University Alumni Association.
Mallory has only been an AWC member for one year and had hoped to establish a chapter in her current city of Morgantown, WV. She is a passionate advocate of education, having received her undergraduate degree later in life at the age of 34. She graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2015 and received a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University in late 2019.
1 thought on “My COVID-19 Life is a Glass Half Full…”
Great read! Thumbs up to Mallory Weaver👍 WVU is very lucky to have her on their team!