It’s surreal to be writing my first post in the midst of a pandemic, but it only makes sense to use this time of social distancing and isolation to turn inward and use the internet to remain connected and share ideas.
This blog isn’t my first, by any stretch. I’ve been blogging in some form since I was 15 years old when my first HTML class took me from paper to the computer. Our goal in the class was to make a single web page using basic HTML, but within the first day of class, I was creating page after page, to journal and explore the ways the internet could allow a form of connectedness beyond a single room or paper journal.
That’s not to say paper doesn’t still hold great value. My memory works in a specific way that requires extensive paper note-taking. I listen and transcribe the audio of speakers, include my own thoughts and questions, and then after each meeting, I look at the pages of notes and take a mental picture. Each page is retained, and I can easily call back to those notes without looking at the paper. Without notes, my memory is hazy and unreliable. I have a love-hate relationship with this process.
COVID-19 has forced me to rethink how I function within a workplace, or how I interact in a remote setting. I’ll be depending on consistency in my note-taking more than ever as we all turn to virtual meetings and calls to continue forward and keep our businesses moving as much as possible.
I’ll be using this blog as a space to share thoughts from the workplace and my personal life. Both are a part of who I am and how I navigate the world. I value my work and my personal time dearly and feel minimal divide between the two. Maybe that’s good, maybe that’s bad. Maybe it’s just a reflection of being fortunate enough to do what I love in all regards. Either way, change is inevitable and world citizens must do whatever it takes to form stronger bonds and come together to share stories and ideas.