Stephanie | Finding Grace in Transitions + Solitude in Pandemic Chicago
I actually purchased my first vehicle during the pandemic
Stephanie and I navigated college together in Chicago— and she has been making deeper roots there for years. This year she has made big changes, finding excitement in her education and future goals— we sat down and talked about what this year during the pandemic had been like for her. I hope you take some time to listen to her story.
“My experience with the pandemic has been the opposite of unique. I think what I went though was very similar to what a lot of people went through. ”
“The very week before everything shut down I was in Florida, everywhere on the news it said, ‘covid, covid, covid’ and we were just like living it up in Florida and had no woes in the world. And I remember coming back into Chicago and there were like three girls on the flight in masks, gloves, the whole thing—and we were thought they were so silly. We did not expect anything to turn upside down like it did. ”
“I still had to go into work. I did not get the luxury of working from home. And looking back on it now, I am actually really grateful [...] I was able to leave the house everyday, which was very important for my mental health...Most of my friends were able to go home and be with their families during the time, March through May and June, literally every one of my friends were gone...There was no community aspect. ”
“Learned a lot about myself during that time.”
“The fact that dad was home from work, he thought it was a party everyday. He would barge into dad’s office all the time, interrupting meetings and stuff [...] We became our own little pod. I would go into work and be with them and go home and be with my dog. ”
“I have weekly zoom schedules with my friends. So on Friday or Saturday night a bunch of us get together and watch a movie together or we would just get together and talk and catch up. That’s how it was in the beginning of the pandemic. ”
As the year has gone on, a lot of things have started to relax a little bit. Once they started coming back we would do a lot of out door hangouts.
“Our global pastors would do these things called ‘Friday Night Live’ where we’d all make a fun cocktail and they’d go live on youtube for an hour and we’d ask questions in the chat. And it was one of my favorite moments of the pandemic I think. ”
“[Running] that was a huge part of my quarantine experience.”
“There was a lot ups, a lot of downs, a lot of really high moments and a lot of really low-lows. But, overall I think I just adjusted to the seasons that would come. As a person of faith I would say my faith in God really got me through this pandemic. It was a really big aspect of my experience overall. Especially with all the time being alone. ”
Huge thanks to Stephanie for taking the time to share her story.
Photos: By Stephanie
