The last time I felt this scared, despondent, and paralyzed by uncertainty was in March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was shutting down Minnesota and the rest of the world.
Like everyone, I was terrified.
All my teaching and speaking engagements were abruptly cancelled, the security of my job at the University was uncertain, and my husband’s employer announced a mandatory furlough. I didn’t know what to do.
Lots of other people were losing even more. It felt so unspeakably cruel that as we feared for our lives and the lives of our loved ones, so many were also losing their entire livelihoods. I remember reaching out to my online community to offer free help with cover letters for anyone who was out of work, just because it felt good to do something, anything.