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Perspective: A Hidden Gift

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Many have lost loved ones, jobs, health, and freedom during this pandemic. I’ve lived some of these misfortunes over the past year. It’s hard to generalize about the ways so many lives have been disrupted because they vary.

I’ve been trying to see some personal positives from the experience. As a professor, I use technology better and have improved my delivery. Writing and publishing continue despite the difficulty of on-site research due to travel restrictions. Web conferences lack personal connection, but they enjoy greater attendance.

Much more importantly, on days I’m working from home, my adolescent boys are with me due to online learning, which can be hard. But instead of driving them to school and activities, I interact with them. We experience normal annoyances and challenges, but I feel I’m more patient now because I know them better. Sometimes they laugh at my quips as if their favorite Youtuber had made them. I know their preferred shows, the good ones and the dumb ones, their developing opinions on culture, and how they interact with their friends. I anticipate their reactions and enjoy the surprises when I’m wrong. I often ponder how much they are missing, but the bonds woven now feel more tightly bound than they would have been otherwise.

As we return to a more open and interactive society, I want to make sure I’ll continue to pay attention to time spent and experiences lived in the moment, regardless of my future plans.

I’m Bill Gahan, and that’s my Perspective.

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