2 weeks notice

Today is March 10, 2021. One year ago today I overheard a comment from a colleague that an announcement would come out tomorrow.  That announcement would be with regard to working remote for two weeks. The goal was to slow / stop spread of the coronavirus that had recently been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. 

It’s as though, in our hubris, we thought we could give a virus 2 weeks notice to vacate and it would listen. 

I knew we would not go back to the office after 2 weeks. I mentioned this notion to another colleague and she melted into tears. 

Because of course our will was more powerful than hard science. This was to be a very small and short lived inconvenience. There’s no way governments worldwide would shutdown and that some industries would collapse. In modern times, of course beleaguered parents wouldn’t get into fistfights with strangers over toilet paper and cleaning supplies. 

But it hasn’t been short lived. One year later 2.5 million deaths worldwide have been attributed to this virus. Some smaller and more regimented countries shut down completely for a time (all much longer than a mere 2 weeks) and have contained viral spread. Others, like the U.S. put in some half-executed containment measures and have slowed spread, but not contained it. 

One year later, I still work remote. I was able to use the past year to adjust career course and I will continue working remote for the foreseeable future.