Editor's Note: The Pause

Something bigger has happened amid the chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis.

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Things have been … quite different, haven’t they? While we’ve all been sheltering in place, schooling from home, and crossing our fingers that Kroger will have toilet paper in stock next time we make a run for essentials, something bigger has happened amid the chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Certainly, as many others, I’m sure, I’ve had moments of panic and frustration. Working from home is not the cakewalk some may expect it to be. As I write this in late April, our team now must communicate via an online chat channel, Slack, or by video conference on Zoom. The days of marking up physical pages during the copy-editing process are behind us. All the files for the issue you see before you have lived on a virtual server until now. Once a story was ready to be designed, a note was sent, via a clacking keyboard: “Bryan, copy is ready for X story.” And later, a response, more typing, “Shara, X story is ready for you.” I miss actual talking and holding printed pages. Anyhow, we hope this issue turned out OK, considering it has materialized from keystrokes and general silence out of a digital cloud. 

But back to what’s happened. Aside from the crumbling of routine and long-term plans flying out the window, we’ve all had a chance to slow down. We’ve been forced to spend more time at home with our families, and as exasperating as that may seem at times (“Mom!” “Dad!” “Look at this!” — or *thinking to yourself* “Didn’t I just do the dishes?”), it’s been a bit of a blessing in disguise. 

We’ve all grown a little closer, with those living inside our homes, and even in some ways with friends and family who don’t, with complete strangers all across the world, and with what’s going on in our own minds. Some of us are having more, and longer, telephone conversations with our loved ones. Others are meeting virtually on Zoom with groups of friends or for birthday celebrations. Somehow in the separation, a deeper connectedness has been unearthed. We’re all in this together — this crisis, this world, this life. 

With the planet experiencing one big pause and inching down to a fraction of its usual hurriedness, I hope you’ve all had a chance to re-evaluate what’s important in your life, what worked and what didn’t. Maybe when we all crawl out of this, we’ll have learned more about how we want to live our lives moving forward. I know for certain that we’ll all come out the other side stronger, more resilient, and with our hearts full of love and appreciation. 

In the meantime, be well and take care of yourselves!

Shara Clark

Editor