Anna Burgess Yang
It has been a few years since our family has done anything for spring break. We had plans to go to Arizona in March of 2020 that we had to cancel due to the emerging pandemic. Last year, I had just started a new job and vaccines weren’t widely available. We’ve done a few road trips in the summer, taking advantage of spending time outside even as the virus lurked in the background.
Continue reading “Some Time Away”
Last week, my husband and I left the house for several hours. We’re doing some home improvement projects, so we met with a builder. Spent about 90 minutes at the office, then picked up lunch on the way home.
By the time we got back to the house, I was exhausted. I mean really exhausted. Promptly took a nap for over an hour and woke up still feeling tired.
Continue reading “Burnout Has Changed Me”
Quentin turned 10 years old this week.
His birthday was five days after our state shut down in 2020 due to Covid-19. We had plans to go to a hotel with a waterpark and had to cancel. Last year wasn’t that exciting either. A March birthday means we couldn’t reliably plan to have an outdoor gathering. Vaccines had only just started their mass distribution. So two of his 10 birthdays have been a bummer.
Continue reading “The Third Pandemic Birthday”
On this day two years ago, we were increasingly concerned about Covid-19. Large organizations were beginning to shut down. Certain cities had become hotspots, with hospitals quickly filling. I was supposed to attend a book event that week and it was canceled.
On March 12th, 2020, Ger and I made a huge trip to the grocery store. We had no idea what a lockdown could look like. Would we be able to leave the house? How long might we be stuck at home? We saw the writing on the wall and pre-emptively kept our kids home from school the next day.
On March 13th, 2020, Illinois announced its shutdown measures. Schools closed. Most businesses, other than essential services, closed. The message was, “Stay home. Flatten the curve.” We did our part.
Continue reading “How Far We’ve Come”
Earlier this week, we watched part of President Biden’s State of the Union speech. I say “part” because the start time was 8:00 p.m. Since I wake up before 4:00 a.m. most days, that’s around my bedtime. Yet I wanted to hear what Biden had to say about the attack on Ukraine. My husband, 12-year-old, and 9-year-old gathered with me to watch.
Continue reading “We Will Be Ok”
Musings Out Loud 