Will Our To-Do Lists Change After COVID-19?

Abstract

To the Editor: Before coronavirus (COVID-19) came into our lives, many of us—first year medical students—had one leading directive in mind: study. If we were lucky, we found delight in it. If we were unlucky, we would grudgingly push through. No matter the case, we seemed to always be future focused: future exams, future specialties, future lives. Admittedly, this energized us as we spent hours gluing together disjointed concepts and disentangling difficult ones. And so began our carbon copy to-do lists: study, practice, rest, repeat. These to-do lists did not typically include spending extended time with neighbors, elderly citizens, or loved ones. Somewhere between the humdrum hours of preparing and the stress of performing, the ideas of being present and staying connected were losing their grip. They became more like abstract notions than pressing priorities. The urgency of COVID-19 changed that. In the face of nationwide stay at home directives, medical school curriculums across the country quickly transitioned to meet the need of flattening the curve. Consequently, our highly structured lives as medical students (studying, socializing, conferences, research) changed, now confined to the boundaries of a home, the radius to the grocery store, or the commute to the local park. We became stretched with different needs but were given more time to notice the world around us. As a result, our distant concerns inherently became more local. We experienced how communities must care for each other, must support those dying with dignity, and must keep each other safe. Medical students across the country responded to this communal call with eagerness. We volunteered babysitting services to families on the frontlines. We shipped care kits to local neighborhoods. We delivered groceries to homebound seniors. We answered this call because we recognized the importance of connection in a time when the world needed us to come together the most. Maybe when this is over, our doors will remain closed. Maybe our to-do lists will not change. Or maybe, just maybe, we will find new strength in staying connected, in knowing our neighbors, and caring for those who suffer most when collective chaos comes. I believe that something is stirring up, something we are in need of: the galvanizing and electrifying vigor of communal strength. The irony of COVID-19 is painfully unforgettable. Never before have we been more isolated, and yet, never before have we been more connected.