Tag: Coronavirus

Do More with Less

Byadamk February 26, 2021 0 Comments
Every night, at work, I feel rushed or squeezed or pinched in some way, like god is my older sister trying to test my resolve until I snap. Either someone calls out, a customer becomes irate over nonsense or a freezer goes down and we suddenly have to move all the product to another one downstairs. None of this changes the fact that I need to write the production list, employees are in my ear,...

The Vegan Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Byadamk December 15, 2020 0 Comments
The store was dead. We were winding down and trying to close up for the evening. I was in the middle of writing the fresh pack production list for tomorrow when one of our team members waved me down. She told me a man had a question for me. So, I walked over to see what was going on. I was met by a man partially wearing a bandana over his nose and mouth. It wasn't not actually covering his face....

My First Thanksgiving On The Grocery Line

Byadamk November 30, 2020 1 Comment
Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season is in full swing. The pandemic is still around trying to ruin all the fun and we are on a second lockdown in my city. Uncertainty still looms large over the heads of people in America and abroad. But when your life is on the grocery line those things are crushed under the weight of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and the chaos...

My Plan of Action for COVID Times and Beyond

Byadamk October 23, 2020 3 Comments
The Pandemic has turned introspection into a way of life for me. Even at the onset of the lockdowns and uncertainty, I have tried to steer my path towards some sort of goal. If this is “life” for the time being, I am going to make the most of it. I’ve put my head down and tried to focus on the writing that keeps me sane and the work that pays my bills. The shift happened naturally given...

The Longest Summer

Byadamk September 25, 2020 0 Comments
When friends and family ask what I’m up to on any given night or on the weekend I usually respond, “I’m just laying low.” They give empathetic replies because for the most part they are doing the same. This year has worn the hell out of everyone but especially the people that have been on the front lines of the madness the whole time. The news cycle, the virus, the Lindas and Daves --...

Love in the Time of COVID

Byadamk July 22, 2020 1 Comment
How does one find love during a time when human contact can be deadly? That question is extremely dramatic, I know, but the enduring and ostentatious nature of its framing doesn’t negate from the fact that it is true. We should always be cautious about the activities we participate in. The pandemic is no exception. I am not actively trying to get me or others sick. But there comes a time in a...

Reflections – Finding Loved Ones In The Grocery Aisle

Byadamk July 12, 2020 3 Comments
One of my first significant memories after coming online and engaging in the world around me happened in a grocery store. I was finally of the age where I could walk through the store on my own, diligently following my parents, of course. And as I trailed behind my Mom and Dad, I would grab items at random and stare intently as I absorbed the newness of experience. During these days, old women...

The Mask He Refused To Wear

Byadamk July 2, 2020 3 Comments
Our freedoms feel significantly infringed upon as the pandemic expands in breadth and scope, and it makes you wonder about the validity of safety and freedom in theory and practice. It’s hard to know what to believe because people in high places tell half-truths. So, we trust our guts and the virus spreads. But it was going to spread either way, right? Right?!? Institutions fail in spectacular...

Rekindling Humanity During The Pandemic

Byadamk June 22, 2020 1 Comment
Over the last two weeks, my city has initiated the long process of re-opening. And along with business doors accepting grateful customers, goods and services being exchanged and people getting back to work in this brave new world, I see the spark of humanity and the smoke to follow starting up all around. With the renewal of services like haircuts and sit-down dinners with friends, we have more...

Social Distance Dinner Party

Byadamk June 17, 2020 0 Comments
I was going to write something about my city opening back up and everything returning to a sense of normalcy, but now we are on lock down again. There has been a curfew in effect starting at 8pm for a few days. It is only for the city and county where I live and from what I can see it’s primarily enforced in the areas that have protesters. Nonetheless, we have lost some freedom, again. On the...