“When coronavirus was first making its way to Chicago, I felt overwhelmed by the immensities of the unknown. I am a planner, but this pandemic turned all my plans on their head.
As the Director of Development for the Chicago Reader, once the coronavirus hit I was firing at all cylinders to keep the paper afloat. In the evenings…I turned to a hobby I love - beading. As the weeks have gone by and the paper has stabilized, I am able to shut my computer at 5 on the dot and dive into my beads. I see it as an opportunity to share and connect with all my friends I can’t see. It has also become a really important way for me to feel connected to the present and centered in my current reality. Something about the tactile nature of craft is deeply grounding.
During this pandemic, I am grateful for my porch - a little patch of the outside world. I am (also) incredibly grateful for friends who are sewing masks for folks and volunteering their time to mutual aid programs.
(After the pandemic), I am really looking forward to being back on public transportation. I (usually) spend upwards of three hours every weekday on public transit… The CTA is how I connect with Chicago and without it I feel a little lost in my own city.”
