Painful, Stressful, Beautiful: A Refection on One Year of COVID-19

By Tiffany Christensen, CPXP

One year ago, it felt like we were waiting for a tsunami to hit the shore. It had already hit China, Italy, New York and Seattle. My little corner of the world, North Carolina, had not yet felt it’s wrath, but we knew it would reach us soon. The air was still, and everyone was tense, scared, waiting.

Since then, the tsunami of COVID-19 has taken the lives of over two million people worldwide and the storm is not over yet. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, another pandemic was exposed: the racism pandemic. After the murder of George Floyd, a sea of eyes opened across the globe to what had always been before us, and a new urgency for change was set in motion. It is all so painful, stressful and beautiful.

The Beryl Institute seeks to elevate the human experience in healthcare. What more could happen in a year to do just that? As the storm rages on, we see sun on the horizon, and the struggle to push forward seems like it will be rewarded with peace at some point. Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have been in awe of our healthcare professionals, but I know they are not deities or superheroes. They are humans who will have lasting trauma and resentments from this experience.

So…painful, yes. Stressful, yes. But, beautiful? How?

In my life, I have learned that the most beautiful moments in someone’s life often happen during a time of darkness. Laughter that comes from the bottom of your toes after a particularly challenging conversation has begun to resolve. The peace of a cup of tea after a day of extreme busyness or stress. The embrace of a loved one after a long absence. The backdrop to these moments may have been painful, but the moment itself is how I define “human experience.”

So too is this true for the pandemic. Although I would never wish 2020/2021 on anyone, it is important to cherish the beautiful moments as we also process and cope with the painful ones. It is essential that we carry forward profound lessons from the pain of these years. I’m sure each of us have our own list, so I’d like to share a few of mine:

• May we remember what it is to truly FEEL like a global community. Facing the same fears and challenges taught us how deeply we are all connected.
• May we all remember the love and sacrifice given by our healthcare clinicians and staff. If ever their dedication to the patients they care for was in question, those questions can be laid to rest.
• May we all remember life stripped down to the “bare bones.” Seeing the people in our lives as multi-dimensional (think children interrupting Zoom meetings and judges with cat filters) was a privilege. I hope we don’t go back to trying to project perfection but, rather, celebrate our multi-dimensional human-ness!

And, finally, I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but one of the things I learned when I nearly died from lung disease is that there are many forms of healing, and dying is actually one of them. May our tired and broken hearts take solace in this truth as we continue to grieve the ones we miss.

Thank you for being my community. You are the strongest, smartest and most loving people on this planet. The world is better because you are here. Here’s to the human experience of healthcare and facing it together.

Tiffany Christensen
Vice President, Experience Excellence
The Beryl Institute