Choices and Change

Life is full of choice and change. Change is inevitable and if you look around it is happening all around us. The question to ask is, will you remain stagnant or go with the flow?

I have had so much change in my life that to me the only choice is to go with the flow. My first year of university was a small school just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The other choice was a small college in upstate NY, to me Boston sounded amazing!

Believe it or not I was a Fashion Merchandise major. After one year, I thought this was not the right fit for me so I decided to return home, work, and contemplate.

That first summer home I was a Day Camp Counsellor at a local day camp. The kids ran me ragged! Did I mention I had the 5-7 year-olds!

After, I worked at a local bank as a teller and then entered retail. I was an associate, then an assistant department manager, first the lingerie department and then I was promoted to the accessories department. But after a year of crazy hours, working nights, weekend and holidays, I realized it was time to return to school. My work was not very supportive, so I took one night class a semester for a year and then I attended my local college full-time and worked two part-time jobs.

Next was Plattsburgh, NY for my junior year of university. Nice area, not much to do, and I finished the year and transferred down to University at Albany. Sociology major with an English Literature Minor as the university required a minor. I loved to read so for me it worked. Native American Literature, Women’s literature, I loved it!

I chose to contemplate graduate school and a program; Marriage and Family Therapy, Master’s in Social Work or a Counselor degree. I met with people in all programs and in the field and chose a MSW degree as it would offer me the most flexibility.

I loved graduate school! I loved the classes, my professors, my fellow students who were a mixture of just out of undergrad, returning to school after a few years, and those who had worked for yearsin the field and decided to go back and get their master’s degree.

I still feel I made the right choice. I have seen holders of an MSW degree work in various fields; finance, accounting, human services, business, and more.

Fast forward 23 years to the year of 2020 and we are in the middle of a pandemic, COVID-19 that took the world by storm and by surprise. Montreal, Quebec, Canada where I live, is on lock-down until April 18th. No businesses, services or schools are in session or open except essential services.

We went on further lock-down, only 1 person at a time out, and only 1 kilometer from your home. Stores open are grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, corner stores or depanneurs as they are known here. Then it went further and grocery stores to be closed on Sundays. Now, going out is a whole new experience.

People avoid one another, cross the street, step onto the street so not to pass one another on the sidewalks. Families are walking in the streets and walking far apart taking up the empty streets as few cars are out.

I am not so sure people really understand what ‘Social Distancing’ means as I have seen families walking on the sidewalk together, kids playing in the park, and more. It goes further in that dog parks and playgrounds are closed and sealed with caution tape.

Stores, people line up to enter and go in a few at a time. There is tape to mark where to stand in line at the register. You use their bags and they pack them or if you bring your own reusable bags, you pack your own groceries. People are wearing masks and gloves.

Who would have thought!

So back to choices…do you stay the same considering what is going on around the world or do you become more flexible, adapt or lock yourself inside your house except when you have to go out for food, pharmacy or for some fresh air?

I will not succumb without a fight. Instead of wallowing and being negative I choose positivity, kindness, caring attitude, empathy, and gratitude. I count my blessings to be alive each day. What is the option? I am not ready to give up.

How about you?

I keep up-to-date on the news and it is heartbreaking…our world will never be the same again. Earth is cleansing itself. Natural resources are depleting, water is polluted as is the air.