Our lives changed forever when the COVID-19 outbreak paused all in-person engagement and operations for EIC. Alongside our community partners, EIC also closed up shop and like many, we had to make adjustments to either a hybrid or all-remote engagement. An entire year has passed since quarantine and isolation restrictions were under way, and there have been so many lessons learned of living with this “new normal”.
So much was unknown at the start of the pandemic, and every day was a drive to stay up to date on public health and safety guidelines only to see the numbers continue to climb day by day. I remember seeing the stickers and tape on the ground appearing everywhere, marking 6 feet reminders for social distancing, as if also marking this moment and time forever in our future history books. Not only did the COVID-19 outbreak exacerbate the issues and health inequities that already existed before the pandemic, but right in the middle of a global pandemic was a summer filled with one of the largest racial and social justice protests and movements in response to the unjust killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Community activists cried out in rage and articulated how much progress we have left to go in the fight against white supremacy and racial inequity for our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
I braced myself for every week, as there seemed to be something on the news that would be a constant reminder of where the fight continues. Some days I felt the weight of the pandemic more than the others, and often the lines between work and home life blurred. I would wake up recounting whether or not I had to work that day since every day had seemed to be an identical and repeated routine for many months at the start of COVID.
March of this year officially marks an entire year since the COVID outbreak 2020. It’s been an entire year full of loss, transition, and grief and every single day we honor the thousands of lives that have been lost due to COVID. In spite of these challenges, however, the pandemic taught us to remain resilient and to persevere forward.
California’s re-opening and what’s next?
As California re-opened last month on June 15, team EIC was finally able to gather in-person at our June team builder at Mikuni in Elk Grove for a dinner celebration together. Some of our team members were meeting for the first time physically despite having worked together virtually over the last year. We spent the night eating good food, swapping stories and laughter all around as if a year being physically apart was surreal.
We welcomed the sun shining down on us as well as the heat waves that came in the last month with open arms and familiar images, smells, and sounds. With vaccinations and restrictions lifting up for California, over the past month we have been able to witness more family reunions, warm embraces from loved ones, and cherish the precious sounds of families and children enjoying the outdoors again and splashing around in the pools and parks. Our mouths watered as we saw more and more folks out and firing up a grill that had been sitting and collecting dust, waiting for its next large gathering to serve its purpose.
Lessons I learned and repeated: give yourself grace, cherish the small moments, and count your blessings.
Since California’s re-opening, upon my own self-reflection I have learned to cherish and enjoy even the smallest moments. The phrase “count your blessings every day” became my daily motto, and making the most out of everything guided my spirits to get through the past year.
So, what is next? Much like how the pandemic started us all on a path of a “new normal”, the current moment we are in with vaccinations under way and reunions all around, have brought so much joy and blessings. We will be learning and training ourselves on a “new normal” and continue to learn so many lessons as we reflect on the last year’s impact and look forward to what is next.
Team EIC is excited to announce that we are in the middle of planning to transform our physical office and bring some new energy into the space. With some new paint on the walls and carpeting, we are slowly preparing ourselves for a full re-open in the fall, signifying a fresh new journey together into the new year.