Mourning

I've said many times that I'm in such a privileged place when it comes to social distancing and all the other mitigation measures that are going on right now. I don't depend on customers or tips, I don't have school schedules to worry about, I really don't have any major plans set in stone this year (we were planning to take a vacation, but that can easily be cancelled). But the hardship of all these cancellations is becoming more and more apparent, and it's perfectly ok to mourn.

Many of the students I volunteer with are seniors in high school this year. In addition to the competition at the conclusion of our business program, they were looking forward to prom, graduation, and moving away to start college. It's now very unlikely that anything else will happen for the remainder of this school year, and who knows how this will impact the start of the next?

I mentor a couple students from my college. One is a senior and we spoke last week as she was on her way home due to the college closing down through spring break. It's now closed for the remainder of the semester and all classes have moved online. She is an art major specializing in metalworking, and worried about being able to graduate if she can't make it to the metal studio on campus. She was looking forward to walking in the graduation ceremony. She's concerned about her apartment at school, and the expense of paying rent if she won't be staying there. She was planning to work for a while and save up for grad school, but what kind of job will she be able to get while everything is shut down?

People are posting about ruined birthday plans (I know we're invited to at least one now cancelled party), bar mitzvahs, and even weddings. Trips of a lifetime. Things they've been planning a long time for. Heck, we're in the middle of interviewing summer interns and I wonder if it's even worth it, since my office is closed, and even last week access was limited for "non-business critical" visitors and contractors.

I've said it before - things shut down for various reasons all the time: wars, natural disasters, disease. I haven't personally lived through any of that, so I don't know the logistics of how it's handled. Is the year considered a wash? Will they go back to school for a couple extra months somehow? Will everyone just understand, "Oh, you were the class of 2020, no problem, we see why your transcript is incomplete?"