Article 15: A Covid Conversation: Two Academic Mamas Discuss Their Balancing Acts

Edith: Slipping on mud and breaking my ankle was how I began the pandemic. It happened on the same day our university decided to switch to remote learning due to the pandemic. It was March 13, 2020, Friday of spring break, and students who had gone home would not return to campus till fall semester. This, in a way, foretold how life would be for me, my children, my friends, and my students. The good and bad in our life kept happening but the pandemic has added more pain, suffering, and hardship which, like molasses, has seeped into every facet of our life. For example, all within the first few weeks of the pandemic, my ankle surgery was delayed because the hospitals were full of COVID patients, both my sons were laid off due to the Safer At Home directive, my son’s car was stolen, and our neighbor was shot and killed. In addition, I was totally dependent on my sons because I had fractured my ankle in three places and with the delayed surgery, I was completely non-weight bearing on one leg. It was not fun especially because of COVID. The pandemic exacerbated the normal challenges of life in ways that, at times, made each day feel like an insurmountable struggle.