https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw Westat ME&I Storytelling Sub-Team ✔https://wesinfo.westat.com/Pages/employee/dei/mei/StorytellingTeam.aspx en-us 2022-03-03 20:46:58 UTC 2025-12-08 12:04:48 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-uploads.storage.googleapis.com/1416996441/c97341226cd08e753065e4d3adc6f5c7/MEI_Icon_Nowords.jpg https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094463191 I might have been a bit reclusive before. Now, I only go out twice a month (for necessities), and stay at home the rest of the time. ]]> 2022-03-14 18:31:28 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094463191 lindagowen https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094478506 2022-03-14 18:41:23 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094478506 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094582370 2022-03-14 19:53:45 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094582370 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094584130 I had my first child during the summer of 2020 before vaccines. Raising a child during these fraught times has been so isolating and at times scary. Virtual support (while appreciated) is not the same. Also navigating the constant decision-making and dealing with opposing viewpoints about the pandemic... absolutely exhausting. Relationships with some people just will never be the same. 
At the same time though, I am so grateful for my healthy baby and the fact that my job at Westat allows me to work at home safely. ]]> 2022-03-14 19:55:10 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094584130 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094590223 I wept at the vaccine site when I got my first vaccine... it was such a tremendous relief and like the other poster, I did not realize how much I had been holding in.  My husband- very high risk- had gotten COVID and thankfully the monoclonal antibody treatment just two months earlier and we had to quarantine while living in the same small house. The treatment happened the same day I lost my Father and it was so bizarre not to have a funeral, or a shiva, yet instead quarantine and ask people to bring us food.  I have learned to be less afraid of my fear and my feelings during these last two years and ask for help.]]> 2022-03-14 20:00:31 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094590223 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094592451 While it may be small and not every day- it is a gift that has helped in so many ways]]> 2022-03-14 20:02:20 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094592451 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094602768 Learned to sit with my feelings and actually take the time to process instead of keeping busy to avoid them.]]> 2022-03-14 20:10:42 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094602768 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094603885 I learned that family is the most important thing and I've grown closer to my parents. I learned that I'm totally fine at home, but when things started opening back up, I realized how much I missed and needed to socialize and be around other people. I didn't think I would want to return to the office, but I love my hybrid schedule and the flexibility it allows while still seeing my coworkers. ]]> 2022-03-14 20:11:39 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2094603885 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2096035043 The major silver lining of the pandemic for me was the fact that my partner no longer traveled for work. When the pandemic began, we had been together 3 1/2 years and the entire time he traveled nearly every week for work. During the pandemic he was home 100% for the first time ever and it absolutely strengthened our relationship and our love for one another. ]]> 2022-03-15 14:02:07 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2096035043 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2096243661 I'm happy that people who were not regular hand-washers began the practice of washing their hands with more regularity!  I am glad that almost all stores, banks, etc. have normalized having hand sanitizer available at counters or by entrance/exits. ]]> 2022-03-15 15:35:17 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2096243661 kellycronin1 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2098932534 My emotions fluctuate much more since the pandemic began. Before March 2020, I shed few tears, but now they flow 'just because'. On the other hand, I'm much sillier than I was pre-pandemic. Impromptu dance parties are now a thing at my house. So is popcorn for dinner. While we used to be conscious of our macro and micronutrients, we now indulge. This could be the root cause of my highs and lows. It is time to start watching our junky carbs again, but I hope I retain the playful streak. ]]> 2022-03-16 23:23:12 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2098932534 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2100175304 While there were times when we were at each others throats, and there were emotional crisis and mental breakdowns, we learned to navigate through those emotions and came out stronger and closer as a family.]]> 2022-03-17 14:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2100175304 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2106122731 Being forced to work from home during the lockdown brought balance to my life in ways that were better than what I could have imagined. When my previous employer brought us all back to the office in the spring of 2020, I instantly knew that was not what was best for my family. I am a better parent and professional when I work from my home. I am so fortunate to have found Westat, an organization that values talent and employees from all over the country. My life as a Westat employee is about my life, including my rewarding job and my family, and not about my commute and sitting at a desk in an office.]]> 2022-03-21 20:20:54 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2106122731 https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2108423565 Pre-pandemic I never experienced anxiety ... now I need to listen to meditation and/or calming sleep videos to fall asleep every night.]]> 2022-03-22 21:32:39 UTC https://padlet.com/lindagowen/dblr3ukz3gy6tgpw/wish/2108423565