As I sit here on a Saturday morning having my coffee and enjoying the amazing view from my couch, I am reminded of how lucky my husband and I are to have a business that we can run and a job that I love. I have watched our friends and family have to close their businesses due to COVID-19 and struggle to pay rent on their spaces that once fed their families or employed their staff.

We are in a very different world right now; one that has shifted how we all work and perform our jobs. We have diversified and made the best of things to be successful. I have watched my nail tech do Zoom pedicures and create press on nails for her clients. I have watched my hairdresser create root kits and plead with her clients to “not dye your own hair!” I have seen my numerous past co-workers go to work with masks, shields, googles, full gowns (sometimes two) and sweat through 12 hours to take care of our loved ones. I have seen 4-year-olds wearing masks to go to school just to get an education. I have watched our young mothers struggle to find reputable child care for their children so both parents can work to pay their mortgage. The struggles that have been handed out to everyone during this past year has been too enormous for some. We have seen an increase in mental health struggles which breaks my heart. The services are just not there virtually or are being underutilized. It’s a struggle for those who relied on others for human connection to help hug those pains away or have a hand to hold. We have watched parents die and families unable to have a funeral service. We have missed many life events, or have had to alter the things we once loved. I have attended a virtual wedding, virtual women’s night, virtual paint night, virtual drinking night, virtual job interviews, virtual talks with loved ones and even a virtual tutorial on how to fix our furnace.We have struggled with what pants to wear or if we should just wear pajamas all day when we don’t have video calls (I am guilty of being all business on the top and fun on the bottom.)

At Plan A, we are very fortunate to be able to positively contribute to the health care system, despite having gone through so many hurdles with the pandemic this past year. When I think of the challenges we have faced personally and professionally, I like to remind myself of all the good things that have happened to us, too.

This pandemic has made us stronger and more resilient. We are better communicators, more caring and definitely better partners for our loved ones.  Our family is much closer, and we value relationships and appreciate human connection that much more.

We have all changed this past year. We have made it through history in the making that will be forever remembered. We will talk to our grandchildren about the time we wore masks, did not go to a concert, did not hug a loved one, did not travel in a plane, did not high five a friend or cheers with a Friday night drink with our neighbours.

We made it through a hell of a year and I thank my friends, family, and especially my husband for being by my side. Although this situation is not yet over, I am hopeful for what lies ahead.

~ Christine Hall, Owner/Operator, Plan A Durham, Mississauga, Niagara & Nova Scotia