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What have 365 days of the pandemic taught you? Let us know!

As the one-year anniversary of the pandemic approaches, our staff reflects on a year like no other; We want to hear from you about how the pandemic has altered your life

You will be excused if you’re not sure what day it is. Call it the pandemic hangover. 

Days and weeks seem to fold into one another and, when they’re not rocketing past at warp speed, seem to be happening in slow motion.

As a result, it may be hard to believe that we are approaching the one-year anniversary of COVID-19. But the World Health Organization officially declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020. The more significant date, locally, is March 13, 2020 - that's when several area municipalities, including Orillia, declared a state of emergency that remains in force today.

The milestone has prompted the editorial staff at OrilliaMatters to reflect on a year like no other, full of ups and downs and uncertainty.

And whether it was self-imposed, government-mandated, or a combination of both, we've all experienced some form of lockdown or isolation over the last 365 days. For many of us, this has caused anxiety and isolation like we've never experienced.

However, throughout the darkness and frustrations with ever-changing rules and regulations surrounding the virus, as the world came to a shocking and utterly sudden halt, we have undoubtedly changed our perspective on what really matters in life.

So OrilliaMatters wants to know, what life lessons have you learned over the last year? What has surprised you the most? 

Next week, we’ll publish an assortment of your responses. Send them to [email protected].

To provoke some thought and to give you some ideas, we asked some of our staff to reflect on the past year. Here's what they had to say:

Reporter Nathan Taylor

The past year, despite its challenges, has taught me mostly positive and valuable lessons, both about myself and others.

I've watched my friends — strong, confident people — struggle with the restrictions and the longevity of the pandemic. I've seen their frustrations and vulnerability displayed openly. It's been difficult to watch, but it's also been inspiring to see them candidly address their own issues, lean on friends for support and persevere.

The same goes for people I've interviewed. Business owners have been tenaciously trying to protect their livelihoods and those of their staff. Friends and family have found ways to celebrate loved ones on their special occasions. Everyone wants to keep things as normal as possible.

I've not only witnessed the kindness; I've received it. Many of those I've interviewed have expressed concern about my own mental well-being, saying it must be tough to not only have to live through the pandemic but also to write about it, in some way, almost every day. They're right. It has been tough. But, it's been a privilege to share the stories — the highs and lows, the success stories — with the community during this time.

More than anything, the past year has made me realize how much I value the people in my life. I'm a homebody who will often find excuses to not attend social gatherings. A global pandemic is not the excuse I wanted. I miss people. I miss my family, including my niece. She'll be two years old this fall and I'm essentially a stranger to her.

This will pass, and when it does, I'll remember to not take those relationships for granted. I'll be stronger for the experience, and I hope the same for everyone.

Reporter Tyler Evans 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have learned that I am more persistent than I thought. Like a lot of people in our community, I was faced with uncertainty around my employment. Coming into 2020, I was a videographer and a radio host. Now I am a reporter. 

After losing both of my sources of employment for COVID-related reasons, I was able to shift quickly, adapt, and find a way to keep moving forward. Although I am proud to have learned how persistent I can be, I also learned how supported I am. 

Today, I would be unemployed and looking for work if it weren’t for the people in this industry who have helped me along the way, and my great family and friends who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and pursue my goals.

But, there’s no denying that COVID-19 sucks.

And sometimes, as a reporter, you have to listen and hear the bad stories, the negative stories, the stories about businesses closing, but I’ve also been given the opportunity to see how the community comes together in tough times. 

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of covering car parades for birthdays, virtual fundraisers, people bringing coffee to front line workers as a way to say thank you. I think the biggest positive surprise over this past year has been experiencing how our community shines brightest in the darkest times. 

It’s a very easy time to feel isolated and depressed, but it’s been surprising to see and feel so much positivity in our community.

Intern Abby Hughes

I think each person had a day where COVID-19 became a very real, life-altering event. For me, that day was March 13, 2020. I remember the Friday, sitting in a Ryerson University lecture hall in the heart of Toronto when the school announced their classes were moving online.

The relationships with new friends I’d made as a first-year journalism student, the hands-on classes I loved and the life I was creating in Canada’s largest city all changed in a matter of days. I packed up bits and pieces of my dorm room as if I were leaving for Christmas break. Like most people, I thought the virus would be stamped out in a few weeks time and I’d be back to Toronto to finish the year off - a ridiculous notion in hindsight, wasn’t it?

Sitting down to write my thoughts on the past year from my family’s home in Orillia, the silver linings were hard to find at first. The pandemic itself has brought on anxieties, sickness and loss of life, and exacerbated existing issues in our world.

We realized how close some people live to the poverty line when jobs were lost. An influx of COVID-19 patients in hospitals meant life-saving surgeries were delayed. Kids without internet at home struggled to access online school, while the vulnerability of seniors in nursing homes was underscored.

Seeing the issues around us, I don’t think it’s possible to ignore them again - to shut Pandora’s Box.

Maybe the events of the past 365 days were just the catalyst we needed to make change for the better, though.

Watching mask tutorials and home workouts go up on YouTube, classes move online and safety protocols be implemented within days and weeks of the pandemic illustrates just how swiftly and creatively change can be made. Human ingenuity has given us three approved vaccines in Canada, making the light at the end of the tunnel start to shine.

The last year has proved to me that despite difficulty, the world can and will muster creative solutions to our collective problems. And for that, I’m very hopeful.

Now it’s your turn. Share your reflections by e-mailing your submission to [email protected] as soon as possible.


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Dave Dawson

About the Author: Dave Dawson

Dave Dawson is community editor of OrilliaMatters.com
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