When 2020 began with World War III teasers from former President Donald Trump and North Korea, I knew something funky had to be coming our way. Whether it was actually a third world war in a society where young Americans don’t know what war looks like, or another thing completely, was something only time would tell.
Turns out it wasn’t a war that would plague the world. It was a pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed every life on this planet. From the infant who grew up with parents always by their side to the grandparents who passed in a hospital with nobody holding their hand. The University of Idaho, with all of its students, faculty and staff, was not exempt from the changes flurrying around us.
Now, those struggles are continuing, but I feel like people have changed. Many mindsets have gone from “I sure hope things go back to normal soon” to “Better get used to it because this is the new normal.”
I know my mindset has changed. Because this pandemic seems never-ending, I want to take a more optimistic approach to a world that is forever altered by COVID-19. I want to look at the bright side.
But what is on the bright side of a pandemic?
For me personally, it was getting back into my hobbies. Throwing myself into the process of learning new skills. My precious pandemic pet. Learning that asking for help is OK. Gaining a level of thoughtfulness and flexibility I never dreamed of. Accepting the position of editor-in-chief at UI’s student newspaper.
That sounds like a lot on paper, but it sure didn’t feel like much until I focused on what good things happened to me after this new normal began. I felt burned out, stressed, drained, over worked and scared. Just like everyone else, I had no clue what was happening and was rolling through the punches without having time to recover from the previous ones.
With this recent peek back into what used to be “normal,” the rush of the pandemic slowed down and gave me time to really think about what had happened. “Hindsight 2020” became more than a joke or meme, and my thoughts turned from sour to semi-sweet. Who knew a change in thinking could turn the nearly intolerable pandemic into something I may actually be able to live with for a while longer (not that I want to though)?
I was able to show myself the bright side through all the dark storm clouds of the pandemic by opening my mind and writing things as they were.
As the new editor-in-chief at The Argonaut, I want to show readers the bright side of things even when the news being written sounds bad. Because behind bad news sits empathetic, caring deliverers. Whether our student-reporters write about the cute puppies visiting campus or another possible mask mandate, I want our readers to know we care about our community.
On the bright side of a newsroom in the middle of a pandemic was supportive readers.
Readers who wanted to know how their community was doing, what was happening around them and what information was available to them. Readers who wanted answers to questions and came to us to find them. Readers who let our reporters know our work was helping them.
Our readers, our community, supported the newsroom through a time where many other newsrooms closed. Everyone adapted to the new normal out of care for each other and themselves.
The news might not always be cheery or agreeable. It seldom is. But there is always a bright side to every situation, it just takes a little bit of searching.
The Argonaut will continue to care for our community and readers the way we have over the past year and a half, by reporting the news. I encourage readers to search for the bright side, find what makes them even slightly happy in bad situations and to keep supporting each other.
Anteia McCollum can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @antxiam5