Sadly, this happened at the beginning of their life’s journey. Each night our news has the latest totals of illnesses and deaths. Please email your 500-word essay to us at yoursay@sduniontribune.com by Wednesday and we may publish it in the newspaper and online. Seven short essays about life during the pandemic The Boston Book Festival's At Home community writing project invites area residents to describe their … John Warner. But there are many lessons that are already blindingly obvious. Holidays and birthdays pass in this odd world. Opinion: Assistance to troubled nations would help solve border crisis, Offer incentives to help countries in need, Opinion: Your say on why you would or wouldn’t leave California. I eat half a sandwich and get up to do something and I’ve been drinking more liquids. But here are some funny lessons the pandemic has brought so far. I have learned I have an inner strength, yet I melt down into all sorts of emotions at times. In March 2020, shipping ports and airports closed. Even if some of those liquids are beer, I’m still down over 20 pounds and continue to lose a little more as the days pass. What I have learned after one year of the pandemic is a lot about cats. Opinion: Bear Flag’s real history should be appreciated, No reason to replace California’s state flag. As a lucky senior with a loving supportive husband, not alone in isolation, and encouraging, friendly neighbors, friends and family, I’ve suffered. I work in senior long-term care, and I have seen fear and illness and loneliness and death. Opinion: Mitch McConnell called out for statement on corporations, Top Republican warns CEOs to ‘Stay out of politics’, Opinion: MLB moving All-Star Game out of Georgia launches debate. Last week I shared a few lessons that I have learned. What I Have Learned When I think about what counts as learning to me, I think about my life. I did work, but at a studio with strictly enforced Covid-19 protocols, along with a large crew who had all been bubbled for the duration of the pandemic. At the Farmers Market in Little Italy on April 4, 2020, Stephen Clark from J.R. Organics helped Lori Vanderlinden select fresh produce while standing behind the tape. Your Say: What lessons have you learned during the pandemic? There is an old saying ‘there is good in every evil’ that I will now use as a … Our health is gold. Please include your name, community and a phone number we won’t publish. There is good in every evil. Getting close was good enough, and there was always another game, so why not deal it out? What is the first thing you did or will do after being fully vaccinated and feeling safe to live the way you did before the pandemic hit? Going to stores to find empty shelves where toilet paper once was only made me shake my head in wonder. We have come together well during a global pandemic. The pandemic year has been marked by so much tragedy, but I am heartened by what scientific innovation and collaboration have achieved to help move our society forward. I always look forward to seeing my family during the holidays and months when I can take time off of work, but this year, like many of us, I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas on Zoom. So instead of worrying about the little things and contemplating your life because you still can’t afford that Porsche, understand what you have. It worked. Led by former Antioch College faculty member and Dean of Educational Programs at Santa Barbara City College Guy Smith, Beyond the Pandemic: Lessons Learned from COVID 19, Volume 8 showcases the efforts and movements that have been made that have forever altered how colleges and universities will operate moving forward. As the coronavirus continues to spread and confine people largely to their homes, many are filling pages with their experiences of living through a pandemic. I would expect people in my community to have had a similar experience with their pets and the bonds they have made with them. In the 2008 campaign for president, the candidate who publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as lord and savior was Barack Obama, not John McCain. The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked several healthcare systems across the globe. Being forced to stay at home since March 2020 has taught people a lot. I’ve learned that as much as it’s nice to stay home in my pajamas, I really miss going out to social events and seeing people’s smiling faces. Donald Trump’s and Joe Biden’s plans benefited different parties, Opinion: Let’s take back our American flag, and the name ‘Karen’, Many of my neighbors (me included) took our flags down out of fear, Opinion: Homeowners need to embrace native plants, We need to create habitat where we live too, Opinion: Voters have already spoken on convention center Measure C, San Diego City Council will vote on whether to declare a different election outcome. But no matter … The horror is even greater now, for our numbers are staggering. Unfortunately, some of these lessons should have been learned from previous crisis situations. Tell us if you would or wouldn’t consider moving away, A host of challenges lead many to consider moving. Many we probably should have known all along, but the current situation has brought them out again in sharp relief. I learned that personal contact and socialization play a bigger part in all our lives than I ever understood. With bare shelves and some money in my pocket, things became disheartening. Anger lingers, along with hope for future. Since the pandemic, I’ve learned to love myself again. Essays reveal experiences during pandemic, unrest. A woman is suing California to get it to recognize the existence of Sasquatch, Commentary: How fundamentalist and evangelical Christians differ. This ad depicted the highs and lows mothers face during the duration of their breastfeeding journey. I love my family; however, we are just returning to the point where I feel I can call any one of my siblings to safely visit and hug them all much more often than I have during the past year. I found places to play, thanks to my wonderful tennis partners, and I continued to play at beautiful places like a private court in Rancho Bernardo and courts near Sunset Cliffs, which gave me the opportunity to discover the beautiful cliffs again even though I’ve lived here 64 years of my 65 on Earth. Because of this never-say-die attitude I was able to stay in contact with my son’s beautiful family after tennis on Saturdays. Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our Newsletters, Copyright © 2021, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. So, too, those without loving support and jobs have suffered immeasurably. After a year of the coronavirus pandemic, I learned that I had better be prepared for the worst at any time. This journey is not an easy one, and it is an ongoing learning process that will come with various mistakes. Give someone you love a call. Going out to a restaurant on a Friday night to start off the weekend became downloading the DoorDash app and bringing that food home. Opinion: Can’t being reasonable be the new political goal? We asked students how their lives have changed since the onset of this pandemic. Not much, maybe? Anger lingers over the past president’s uncaring, negligent response. Being in nature helps me see things in the larger perspective that seems critical right now. Firms like Delta and Coca-Cola faced pressure to push back on Georgia law, “I owe it to my skipper to tell about the PT-109. My mom even asked if she needed to mail me toilet paper. Concerns are letting up due to a stable federal-state response to this disease. During a time of lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing, solitaire seemed like a harmless enterprise, a salve for the mind and the hands, a safety valve that meant having something to do. Their lives have forever changed. I decided I needed to eat less so that my stomach could shrink and I wouldn’t be as hungry. I know there are other animals that have served as pets to help people with the stress of the pandemic. I learned, and knew all along, that I have a strong family. I love tennis and when the pandemic struck, our leaders thought it would be beneficial to lock tennis courts so no one could play tennis. Jun. The distancing, the lack of activities in groups, all dimmed my spirit. I guess the saying is, where there is a will, there is a way, or from one of our greatest poets, “All limitations are self-imposed.”. Last March, UC Berkeley had begun shutting down ahead of a Bay Area-wide shelter-in-place order. Essay of Student Address To the Public Amid COVID-19 Pandemic . Just being able to live in this world to me is a learning experience, because I feel that my life is full of lessons and I believe that it takes lessons to learn in life. STUDENT ADDRESS – Here is an essay of the message of a student to the public in times of COVID-19 pandemic. In January, my daughters and I had the amazing opportunity to star in a breastfeeding commercial for Frida Mom. Granted, I had no Zoom schooling sessions to enforce, no children to parent, no job to perform remotely. While we have yet to see whether this will apply to e-learning post-COVID-19, it is one of the few sectors where investment has not dried up. My wife, Kim, my shorty Jack Russell Terrier Stella and I have not missed a beat at home; in fact, we may be closer as a result of the pandemic. Pet your dog . Title . Opinion: I was in that breastfeeding commercial during the Golden Globe Awards. What have I learned about myself, my family and my community after one year of the pandemic? I was really looking forward to seeing The Rolling Stones at SDCCU Stadium last May, but the concert was canceled and now the stadium has been demolished. By . In the spirit of author Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, I realized that our current situation has provided reminders of some basic but significant ideas about ourselves and our lives. COVID-19 is a mega-pandemic, which most people in the world have never seen in their lifetime. I hope as the year goes on and we slowly get back to normal with vaccines getting out into the community that we maintain that positive energy and remain a strong, friendly community. Opinion: Whose stimulus plans will do the most good? Moderate are fed up with the extreme views on both sides. Commerce has long acted as a bridge-builder between nations … These totals flash me back to the days of the Vietnam War when the numbers of dead and wounded soldiers were announced. I never cheated to win; winning wasn’t the point. Also sign up for our community newspaper newsletters, and CaregiverSD. I am glad the vaccines are here and maybe we can turn the corner and hug each other again. Consider Some Pandemic … As fun as it was seeing everyone on my computer screen, in 2021 I will not take for granted that something as terrible as this pandemic couldn’t happen again, and I will make it a priority to see my family as soon as I can. And I have seen courage and strength and resiliency. I have learned a huge amount about myself. When we started to have to wear masks in public, I saw that people were nicer to each other, but now I see mask fatigue and people just wanting to get on with their lives. Cargo carriers prohibited shore leave for their crews. I lost more than 20 pounds, and I am now feeling better when I have to bend down to pick something up. I come from a sports background and that results in a cannot-be-defeated attitude. For a large part of the world, we have yet to experience the worst brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. No other outbreak, even if it was called a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has affected as many people and as many countries as this one has, since the 1918 Flu pandemic. This past year I’ve learned that I took many things for granted and expected that life wouldn’t change that much in my day-to-day routine. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught the entire world the importance of maintaining personal hygiene. In this week’s post, I am glad to share the second half of my list. John Warner is the author of Why They Can't Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities and The Writer's Practice: Building Confidence in Your Nonfiction Writing. “I learned that I was depressed. My sadness is lifting with the promise of tomorrow, thanks to vaccinations. We asked: Californians face high housing, tax, water and energy costs, threats of wildfires and earthquakes and a host of other challenges, leading many to consider moving away. As for my community, I honestly feel we have been dealt a huge straight right that has knocked us down for the count. What has been made clear through this pandemic is the importance of disseminating knowledge across borders, companies, and all parts of society. What have I learned about myself, my family and my … The most important lesson I have learned from having to live through the coronavirus pandemic is that not everything goes your way. I think most of us did. Regarding the one-year lockdown anniversary: The last year has been without a doubt one of the most trying and difficult of my life. We acquired a cat in our household last July. Take it from me: I played many hands of the game and have nothing to show for the effort. Their loss is infinitely greater than mine. This cat, during this pandemic, has served as our therapist, yoga instructor, meditation guide and fellow afternoon nap enthusiast. I have learned from this pandemic the sad results of an overly contagious... Crisis may floor us but we can rise again. Driver in fatal crash identified as Imperial Beach resident, Brayand Alejandro Cambell-Davilla, 23, was struck by two cars on Interstate 5, Driver, passenger killed in April 2 crash near Escondido ID’d as Vista teenagers, The victims were found inside a vehicle in a ravine hundreds of feet below the road, Four WWII vets honored with plaque on Mount Soledad, In first gathering since COVID struck, Allied Gardens Kiwanis recognizes its ‘Greatest Generation’ members, San Diego man killed in head-on crash with wrong-way driver on I- 8 near Alpine, Accident occurred at 2 a.m. Saturday west of Dunbar Lane; suspect has been arrested on DUI charges, Essential, invisible: Covid has 200,000 merchant sailors stuck at sea. Tell us why you would or wouldn’t contemplate leaving California. More than 200 nations and territories have recorded cases of the coronavirus disease. There is no doubt that what America and the rest of the world is experiencing is a reality... Rediscovering Our Humanity. I might win this time. Let’s just say that I am not known to be the most optimistic person; I am a bit of a pessimist and an overthinker. Across America, the coronavirus pandemic has rewritten the syllabus for the 2020-2021 school year. The pandemic has affected me in a lot of ways, mostly my productivity, motivation and my mental and physical health.However, during this time I have learned more about myself and my habits than I have in a very long time. What We Are Learning About Ourselves from the COVID-19 Pandemic Learning to Quickly Adapt. The pivotal role of the private sector. I have learned a lot about how humans can relate to cats that I was not aware of growing up with these lovely animals. SUBSCRIBE HERE to have an It’s Not Just You essay delivered to your inbox ... Like how we learned to really look at nature–whatever scrap of it was nearby. Over the years, I gained weight, became insecure, stopped hanging with family and friends because I was ashamed and embarrassed. People were shopping local more to support locally owned businesses. With the resilience I know we have, though, all our businesses and high school sports will bounce back to deliver blows of our own until we become the victors in the last round of this most important fight of our lives. SUBSCRIBE HERE to have an It’s Not Just You essay delivered to your ... Like how we learned to really look at nature–whatever scrap of it was nearby. 15. Hoarding took place at every level and made me think of countries where things like that are familiar. Subscribe to email newsletters from the Union-Tribune about news, sports, business, opinion and more. We’re all human, and no one wants to see their business or the livelihood they worked so hard for destroyed. ‘Samurai ghost’ photo of mystery boots behind girl leaves many seeking paranormal explanation. Should businesses play role in protecting voter rights? We are living beyond the planet’s boundaries: If there is one lesson that is staring us in the face it is … I owe it to his memory.”, Is Bigfoot real? I have learned many things about myself during the course of the pandemic. I have seen people trying to express love through glass windows with masks on. Health is something we so easily take for granted until it is at risk. If in the past year you played solitaire, even a single game, you wasted that time. The deck of cards was right there on the table, and, without thinking, my hands would take up that file of 52 to riff and shuffle and cut. The COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic has put a lot of strain on everyone. After seeing lines of people at the grocery stores, loading up with groceries and toilet paper overflowing from their carts, I realized that many people are out for themselves without a care for anyone else. Those nights out became nights in. I think of family — our grandkids struggling with school, their adolescence stifling in confinement, missing senior school year activities, experiencing college online. They have lost learning opportunities and personal growth from interactions with others. We don’t always know what’s going on in the lives of those we pass every day at the store, but we have all gone through something unprecedented in our generation together and should never forget how it made us feel. What I’ve Learned From the Pandemic Year In March 2020, the world realized that Covid-19 was going to change everything. It meant so much to me. I fell into a cycle. I’ve learned the community of San Diego comes together very well during a crisis. This pandemic led to the best date of her life … Teachers are facing formidable challenges, … I have seen healthy people become deathly ill and pass away without family to comfort. I didn’t understand the reason why so many people stocked up on toilet paper, as the coronavirus was not going to cause a bad case of diarrhea for those infected. Submit an Essay About Us ... We’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic now, but it appears that—with a vaccine—we can see light at the end of the tunnel. I no longer just keep eating because it’s there and it tastes good. More on today’s Your Say topic at sandiegouniontribune.com/lessons. Typically, we think of gratitude as being thankful for the essentials in our … As an upbeat, laughing sort, surprisingly I was hit in spite of being blessed. The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will be with them forever. The possibility … Two seriously hurt in four-car hit-and-run accident in Talmadge, Accident occurred Friday night on Fairmount Avenue near Interstate 8, Four extremist ‘Grizzly Scouts’ indicted for obstructing federal probe into Oakland shooting, The men, affiliated with the boogaloo movement, are accused of covering up their association with a man accused of murdering a federal security guard, Jasmine Darznik’s historical novel ‘The Bohemians’ follows Dorothea Lange’s West Coast transformation, Book chronicles Lange’s budding career, which shaped her into an influential Depression and World War II photographer, New nonprofit CEO sees San Diego as ‘true leader’ in solutions for affordable housing, Sean Spear is the new president and CEO of Community HousingWorks, the San Diego nonprofit that develops, rehabilitates and operates affordable housing communities in the county and throughout California, while also offering programming, resources, and other forms of support to its residents, San Diego ready to reverse Proposition B pension cuts, potentially ending 9-year legal battle, Strong stock market returns have shrunk city’s costs because workers got 401(k)-style plans instead. 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