Storyteller: Jaden Derleth
Amy was born and raised in Saginaw, MI where she attended the local high school and where she met her husband. Amy works full time as a senior facility manager as well as a mother of three children which she might say is a full-time job as well. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy enjoyed playing golf, going up north to her cabin, and frequently getting together with extended family and friends.
Because of COVID restrictions, Amy started working from home in March of 2020, the same time she first heard of the virus. Amy was the only one still working in her family which meant two of her children and husband were home while she worked. A challenge Amy faced with this pandemic was managing her employees while she was stuck at home. Amy found the transition to online meetings and conference calls was fairly easy but, the fact that her employees had to still be on site and she couldn’t be there with them was a challenge for her. While she balanced her work and her family’s physical health, she also wanted to make sure everyone’s mental health was up to par as well. This resulted in daily family walks.
One of the things Amy learned from this pandemic is how short life really is. She doesn’t ever want to take things like family gatherings, going to restaurants, or even getting groceries for granted ever again. She also learned that it is extremely important to try and be financially stable for the unknown. She says the one thing that she lost from this pandemic was interactions not only with her family but with random strangers as well; she misses the small talk with waiters, grocery store clerks, and even patients in doctor offices. Amy also stated that because of masks, it is more difficult than ever to have conversations with people when you can’t see their facial expressions.
MIPandemicStory 