As I was sitting at my desk behind my small grey cubical at work reading the CNN news app, I saw a news article update announcing that “Governor Tom Wolf had issued a Stay-At-Home order.
I understand this rule is in place for the safety of communities, but I felt a wave of concern wash over me; not because I could not go down the street to get Zeke’s coffee during my work breaks. More because I worried about the children I work with. In my profession, I not only write grants for the non-profit organization I work with, but I interact with children who live in at-risk neighborhoods
I am grateful for the home life I have, but while I lounge on my couch, I think about individuals who don't have a safe living space. Some of the students I work with do not have home spaces where they can be comfortable and secure, and this has weighed most heavily on me during this time.
Since our office building is now closed, the students no longer have a safe space to come to where they can interact with trained professionals outside their home and school life. I’ve realized these kids are now spending more time at home than the time they would spend at school and on their extracurricular activities. It's not my own inconveniences that preoccupy my mind. It's thinking about my students that makes me realize how interconnected our lives are, even with relative strangers.
During this time, I feel we should all give ourselves the space to feel negative if that's what surfaces, and to acknowledge and work through it in order to come back to a space of new-found contentment.
My dogs are the happiest they can be right now. Honey, Hershey, and Teddy distract me very often, but they keep me motivated to take breaks and go for a walk outside and enjoy my surroundings. They definitely keep me from becoming overwhelmed with my workload!
My recommendations for people at this time are to let yourself feel every emotion that comes about, be open to feel things you could be feeling or eventually encounter. And, remember, eat healthy!
~~ Lori Robin, as told to London Wright (Class of '23)
OUR GATORS HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM THEIR SUPPORT GROUPS, THEIR SAFE SPACES, AND THEIR SCHEDULES. HELP THEM FIND GROUND AGAIN BY MAKING A DONATION THAT CAN RETURN THEM TO A HEALTHY LIFE.
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