Marilyn Leggett

I wonder if our reinventions are any more difficult because of COVID than other time? Covid19 struck Canada on January 25, 2020. It has devastated millions. We hear so many sad stories caused by Covid19. There is no doubt that these are crazy and trying times, both personally and in business. Numerous folks have lost their jobs and the world economy has been trashed. Non essential businesses are on Lockdown, everywhere. “Lockdown” is now number twelve of the most used words from the dictionary, in 2020. People are reeling, not knowing where to turn and what is safe and what is not. Covid19 has become a world-wide epidemic, and many are losing their lives to this terrible disease. Most experts agree that life will never return to what it once was. Due to all the health and work changes that have been adopted, much of the world has started on the road of reinvention. Business travel is curtailed or cancelled. There has been an end put to face to face meetings and courses. These meetings are taking place on Zoom or other like platforms. We have been told to limit our exposure to others. All these changes are forms of business reinvention. Most of our shopping is now being done on line, because it is safer and easier. A lot of us have cut back on Holiday gifts as a result of lack of disposable cash and safety concerns. What is all this doing to our poor Retailers, Restaurants, and Mom & Pop shops? Certainly many businesses will find it necessary to close. A Restaurateur, with whom I met, told me that most in the restaurant business just don’t know anything else. They have been doing this kind of work for so long. It is definitely scary to start over, especially if you have a family to support. What will they do? Again, more reinvention. So much of this reinvention costs money. I venture to say that Covid19 has not only devastated many financially but also has shaken their self confidence, as well. We can look back to the sixties and seventies, when we didn’t have personal computers or cell phones. Once these two now commonly used technologies came into being, in the eighties, things never returned to what they once were. To some, that was a stressful time of change. That was called Progress. Reinvention was again required, by many in order to keep up with the times. At the same time, this was an exciting time and these reinventions were a good thing, to most. The World wars and The Depression, were times of devastation as well as reinvention for many men and women, of that time. Some reinventions were better than others, but these reinventions were very necessary to find a new path in life. However, some of those who could not find a way to reinvent, perished. What does reinvention mean exactly? The dictionary states that it is: “the action or process through which something is changed so much that it appears to be entirely new”. Maybe it is finding a new strength from within, as well. Perhaps it is a combination of both. In any case reinvention has become necessary for most of us through the years. Having said this, reinvention needs deep self-examination, consideration and usually, hard work. My personal story is similar. Most of my reinventions were painful and unwelcome. After raising my children and after making a bad investment, it became necessary for me to rejoin the workforce. I had no outside work experience. I had to find a way to reinvent myself several times, in order to survive and prevail over the working world. After a few years and as many positions, I landed a great Job that I loved! Enter COVID19: My position was made redundant in May 2020. I was upset, of course. This forced me to reinvent myself again. This event lead me develop a writing career, which hopefully will make my life better. I believe I was hit over the head, symbolically. All my life’s experiences and jobs in the past have brought me here today. Call me crazy, but I believe this hit over my head, came from above. This time I was willing to listen and try something that I have always secretly wanted to do. Covid19 might just have been the instrument to force me into freelance writing. I have always secretly wanted to write, but I was timid to put myself out there. As I started out saying, I wonder if reinvention has been made more difficult due to Covid19, or has it always been difficult? It is my belief that forced reinventions have happened throughout the generations. Maybe it just seems tougher because it is happening now and to a lot of us. Did all the other generations feel the same pressure? Maybe COVID19 is our War or Depression! Let’s hope we don’t get hit with too many more challenges like COVID19 in our lifetime. After all, how many times in our lives are we mentally and physically capable of reinvention? The secret may be not to be afraid of reinvention, no matter when. Perhaps we should embrace change and try to look at the silver lining. We might find a way to be thankful for what and who we have in our lives. A pet to love and talk to helps to reduce stress. In these ways, we could be better equipped for disruptions in life. Lovestowrite Oakville