It hasn’t changed much since I’m homeless. I’m just scared because I don’t know what’s going on.

When we think of fortune, we think of massive wealth, treasure hunts, gold mines, and fantastic hordes of gems and jewels. But this year, my idea of fortune is how I am feeling right now, today. Yesterday, I submitted final grades for my four classes of Speech Communication with 110 students. Also, I completed editing my roomie’s book on graceful aging.Today, I feel accomplished, relieved, and euphoric that, during a pandemic, I am still earning a living by doing what I love. I enjoy teaching young people how to communicate impactfully. In my classes, people age 16 to 50 learn three things:Critical thinkingCritical listeningOutlining and References in APA StyleNow, that looks like a shortlist for a college course. But ask my students if it is that simple. They will tell you it is not.So, I’m feeling accomplished because I managed to pull 90% of my students through the switch to online learning, once the lockdown caused our school to close. Of 110 students, seven dropped the course before the lockdown. Nine failed the course because they gave up due to technical difficulties. Perhaps, they did not have a computer or laptop. They may not have WiFi or an internet connection. They could have children at home and not be able to concentrate on schoolwork. There are a plethora of reasons why 16 students did not get through my Speech Communication course.On the bright side, of the 94 students who made it through, there were:44 As or 40%28 Bs or 25%14 Cs or 18%8 Ds or 7%10% of my 110 students this semester either dropped before or after the lockdownI am off for 18 days. I will teach this course over the summer in three classes. Two are 12 weeks and one is six weeks. My challenge is to revert back to my lesson plans for shorter courses since the Fall and Spring terms were 16 weeks long. The fortune is that I taught this class in ONE month at three other schools. So, my real goal is to relax and enjoy my time off.Stay well and enjoy a Happy Springtime!

My coronavirus story began in early March. At that time, one of our families who has a child that comes to our shop for training had a member that was visiting Italy. When they returned, I asked the family to take a two-week break from bringing their child into the shop. From then on I started making all kinds of rules about keeping everyone safe. By March 14 or so, I decided to close the shop and bunker up at home. Also, around the same time I started to have a big problem with my knee and was in a great deal of pain so I couldn’t really move around anyway. We all stayed home for a month. My son, who has severe autism, stayed in bed all day and I decided he was probably in a depression. So as I was starting to feel better, I realized I had to get him out and we went back to the shop to start working and making Chocolate. Eventually we decided we had to figure out a way to keep our revenues up and I invited some of our employees to also come back into the shop but stagger their schedule so nobody was there at the same time. We eventually put the word out to the community and we had a very successful Mother’s Day truffle event. This is let us to develop new ways of marketing including curbside pick up and eventually we’re going to be doing delivery. And we have really boosted up our mail order business. My family is ultra safe. We do not go to any stores or any restaurants of any type. We eat at home every day and we wear masks when we go out but honestly other than our house and my shop, we don’t go anywhere. Everything we need we get delivered. And my husband washes it off before comes in the house. We are both in our 60s and don’t want to take any chances. Additionally, my son with the autism is very behavior really difficult and this change in routine has caused him a lot of problems. He’s been changing up his medications with the psychiatrist but the whole situation has just exacerbated the problems. Basically our whole family revolves around his needs and we have to be very careful that we are able to meet them no matter what. For instance, he only eat certain foods and snacks and I have to make sure I have them on hand. Additionally, no matter what, we have to stick with his routine. But I will say having him going back to work at our shop has made a big difference. I think this time is about creativity, consideration, and understanding of others needs as well. I hope everyone can come together and work on creating a safer and healthier world.

The virus really did not effect me that much, other having to wear a mask and gloves while i’m at work. I never really hung around a large group of people so social distancing was easy. I really see no difference

My job has completely stopped. I have been out of work for about 2 weeks, and been living off my savings and stimulus check. This money was suppose to be used for my daughter car as award. This sucks

The Corona Virus has changed my life drastically. It has created a new way of living, a new norm, as well as a sense of caution and panic within me. I am unable to do things that I normally enjoy doing, such as going to the movies, mall, out to eat, traveling, etc. I am forced to practice a new lifestyle that I am learning how to do day by day. It’s a surreal feeling to know I can’t pick up a gallon of milk from Publix without a mask on, or pump gas without gloves on. It’s even a big deal to cough and sneeze. People give dirty looks and stare, or walk away. So many new rules to follow. It’s tough, but I understand the importance of all the guidelines in place. The virus has also made me more aware of where I sit, what I eat, what I touch, where I stand, and even with whom I do these things. I am more aware of my surroundings. I wash my hands more frequently. I am very cautious. I am also using this time to spend more time with my teenager daughter. This experience teaches us to enjoy what we have, before what we have becomes what we had.