It’s amazing to look back and see how we — as a community, as a state, as a nation, as a world — have adapted over the last year. Look at how we have overcome, how we have creatively found solutions to obstacles, how we have found new ways of working and interacting.
We’re looking at the drive-through Empty Bowls fundraiser at the end of this month and the rise of online dating and remote working.
Empty Bowls announced they’ll be doing a cold soup pick-up this year instead of the usual luncheon. Participants still pay the $15 ticket price and get their soup, and the funds still support food programs in Monongalia County. Unfortunately, there are no hand-painted bowls, which is disappointing, but the drive-through model allows for the fundraiser to continue safely. It’s not the same, but we’re glad to see they chose transformation over cancelation. But this also opens a possibility of adding a drive-through to future luncheons.
On Sunday, we had a story about finding — and keeping — love during a pandemic. The first featured couple started dating in the time of social distancing, but they’ve adapted. Dates are relegated to one apartment or the other, but that has challenged them to get creative. For now, they can only get together on the weekends, but they are learning about themselves and each other in the process, and how they might work as a couple post-pandemic.
In general, Zoom dates are becoming more and more common. In order to connect with others, and maintain that connection, we’ve had to become more innovative and resourceful than ever before. As videocalls and virtual meetings become more common, and the technology continues to improve, we open the door to new ways to communicate and form bonds. Long-distance relationships just got a lot easier.
West Virginia is now looking into ways to attract remote workers, because we’ve learned that some work can be done from anywhere. (And we’ve learned to have a far greater appreciation for the people whose jobs are so vital to making our society work that they can’t be done from home.) Think about this, though: The Mountain State has faced a brain drain for years because there’s not enough work for the young and college-educated. Now we’re looking at a future where we might not only stop the brain drain, but reverse it by attracting professionals tired of city living. That wasn’t an option before the pandemic taught us new ways to work.
We had to adapt quickly to make our lives work right now, but some of these changes will linger, impacting our future for the better. It used to be “do it this way or not at all.” But now we know there’s a dozen different ways to do something and the tools we need are improving every day. We predict that, post-pandemic, our lives will be less “this or that” and more “this and that.” We’re excited for all the possibilities that will open up.
