This week my mind keeps floating back to a post written by Kottke from early in the pandemic:

Some people feel helpless & anxious.

Some people are bored.

Some people are self-quarantined alone and are lonely.

Some people are realizing that After will be very different from Before.

Some people are really enjoying this extra time with their kids and will miss it when it’s over.

Some people just got off their 12th double shift in a row at the hospital and can’t hug their family.

The whole piece is worth reading. It was written in March 2020 when we were all scared and trying to surf the waves of uncertainty. I think of the COVID articles I’ve read this is the one that has stayed with me the most.

Here in May 2021, there’s so much to look forward to: the vaccines are rolling out and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s a sense that post-pandemic we’re going to have a massive economic and lifestyle boom.

But today, things are still hard for most people. We need to continue to be empathic for the disparate ways in which the unyielding pressure of these years affects everyone, including ourselves.