BY GENEVA NODLAND geneva.nodland@go.mnstate.edu

With all the chaos and uncertainty the coronavirus has brought, one thing has been universal: in some way, it has changed the lives of all of us. For some, things have slowed down, or maybe sped up, or maybe lost control. Maybe this has given you more time to try new things, or maybe you’ve seen it tear away at your motivation to do anything. There are grandparents who can’t meet their newborn grandkids except through a screen, 20-year-olds filing for unemployment, a fear of the grocery store checkout line: things most of us didn’t think would happen when we cheered at midnight on January 1, 2020. The fact is, things are weird. There’s not much we feel like we can do to control that weirdness, but one thing we do have is our stories. 

We want to create a place for you to share your story. We want to document this weird time with your personal experiences. We are living through something that we would have never imagined. We are adjusting, we are struggling, and we are supporting. Whether it’s how you are adapting to living at home again after the dorms closed, or what your work is doing with new protocol—we want to hear your stories, because odds are, you aren’t alone in whatever you’re going through. 

If you are interested in sharing your story with us, please email advocate@mnstate.edu; and if you’re interested in finding comfort in other stories, keep an eye out for our series, “Claiming Quarantine.”

Thank you, and stay safe.