Two Years Later

Last day of my full-time job -Feb 2020

Two years ago today I started a 9-month physiotherapy contract position at a local acute care hospital. I had retired from full-time work three weeks earlier and wanted to ease out of my career gradually. That week of March 9, 2020 brought the end of normalcy around the world as COVID-19 changed life quickly. Due to pandemic demands, my contract was extended a few times and I am now a permanent part-time employee. I am very grateful for this job which gave me purpose when things were shut down and has provided many opportunities for learning and personal growth. I was hired to work on the Chest Unit and it quickly became one of the COVID units. In just under two years, there was only one day when there were no COVID-positive patients in the hospital and we still have 20 plus inpatients who are affected by the virus. 

I remember life before everyone wore masks, when we visited restaurants without a second thought, and when we had no restrictions in our social activities. Our 2-year-old grandson has not enjoyed the degree of socialization his older sister experienced at the same age. And time will tell how months of online learning have affected the education of students.

My preconceptions of what retirement would look like are forever changed. One cannot live well without a purpose, without connecting with other people, without new experiences and some sort of routine. People who remained isolated and inactive for the past two years have risked a detrimental decline in their physical and mental health. 

This winter has been cold and long but spring is almost here. I look forward to a gradual return to some kind of new normal in this country but am also aware of the suffering war is bringing to Europe. Five years ago I was working through a stressful situation at work. I drew this diagram and kept it at my desk to remind myself of what I could and could not control. There are many things we cannot change but we can continue to grow personally and work for positive change in our circle of influence.