Imagine you are going about your daily routine and job responsibilities in early February, then you snap your fingers and BOOM, you are transported to mid-April in the thick of a global pandemic with a shelter in place order and a crying eight-week-old baby. That’s essentially what happened to me.
You see, I began my 8 week maternity leave in mid-February, the day before I was induced to have my baby girl, Emma. Being a planner, I worked on a maternity plan for MONTHS full of proposals to finish, clients to check in on, leads to follow up on and more. I tapped different team members to help with different items, set reminders in our project management software, and had already anticipated what would be waiting for me when I came back in mid-April.
Well, let’s just say nothing went according to plan. As we now all know, about 2 weeks into my leave $h*t hit the fan. Being the amazing ladies they are, my team was trying to protect me from the tough, awful reality they were dealing with. The clients canceling events, leads no longer interested in talking to us, fellow planners and partners being laid off or furloughed...I could not believe what I was hearing.
Before I left, my plan was to come back after eight weeks and seamlessly resume the role I’ve maintained for over seven years. But you know what they say, “if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” I came back to a smaller team, an empty Spring calendar, a list of leads no longer needing our services, prospects no longer interested, a slew of relationships I spent 7+ years building no longer relevant due to lay offs and furloughs, and new job responsibilities due to our downsizing. Apparently we have a blog now? All while trying to figure out what the future brings for the hospitality industry and our clients and how to manage a household with a newborn and trying to avoid COVID-19.
Aside from the struggles at “the office”, there is the whole “raising a newborn during an epidemic” we’ve had to deal with. Not being able to have friends or family visit to meet Emma; not being able to just throw her in a carrier and roam Target on the days you just NEED to get out of the house; having to suit up in masks and gloves just to go to the pediatrician, only to then have to decide which parent gets to go into the exam room with her for her 2 month old shots; not being able to leave her with Grandma and Grandpa for a few hours just so we can get out of the house because really, there’s nowhere to go. Then there are the complications of running to the grocery store for essentials and having to sanitize everything when we get home to ensure everyone is safe (while she’s crying because you’re home and she wants you to hold her.) It’s tough. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t lay awake at night thinking about what would happen if my husband or I contracted COVID-19. Weeks without being able to hold my baby? Kiss those cheeks? Notice the changes she’s making daily? Surely enough to keep me awake more than I’d like to admit and I do not need another reason to lose precious sleep!)
My transition back to “the office,” however remote, was a bit more jarring than I’d planned. My days went from baby snuggles on the couch while binging Ozark season 3 and Tiger King, to staring at my Outlook inbox with no idea what the heck to do next. Not an awesome feeling for someone who always tries to have a Plan A, Plan B and 87 or so check lists at any given moment.
To say the past few weeks have been stressful is an understatement. With all of this being said, I am ridiculously grateful for my supportive family nearby, a rockstar husband who my daughter adores, and the best team on the planet. A team who has understood this tough season I’m going through; a team who is giving me the time to adjust to this “new normal” they have had a few more weeks to process; a team who is working around newborn nap schedules (and I’m using “schedule” loosely); a team who looks past my blank stares on Zoom calls when I just cannot process anything else at the moment; a team who is giving me the grace I need and understands this is all temporary.
I think it’s safe to say 2020 has already been full of high highs and low lows. It’s also safe to say that I’ve never been more proud to be a part of the Meritage team.
We have been using this time to adapt...we have been brainstorming like crazy; acting like sponges to all types of new technology and virtual services; redesigning marketing collateral; checking in with clients and partners to see how they are hanging in there; strategizing, and, well, reaching for the stars.
This year Meritage will celebrate 15 years in business, and I’m going to assume on behalf of Katie and Tacy that this 15th year is the hardest. However, we are here to stay and excited for what the future holds, crying babies in the background of Zoom calls and all.