TRENDS Diary is a place for Boulder County residents of all ages to share personal experiences that relate to a pressing community need. The focus, for now, is on our shared need to connect and solve problems, despite the increased isolation we're all experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Foundation of Boulder County publishes the TRENDS Diary and invites those who wish to tell their story to submit it here.
Dear TRENDS Diary,
As we learn our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we find ourselves in the midst of what will likely be a transformational experience in human history. When we were celebrating the first year in a new decade, no one could have imagined the world in which we are now living. Looking back, there was sufficient evidence to conclude that we could have, and should have, been better prepared. A retrospective will inform lessons to be learned from the current crisis.
I will leave after-action reviews to others. My interest is in 1) how Longmont residents are "getting through" the current stay-at-home order, 2) how they are staying connected to family and friends even though they cannot be together, and, 3) assuming life will be different on the other side of this crisis, what do residents want to see and experience as their "new normal" —or — what is their preferred future on the other side of the pandemic?
I am collecting answers to these questions through virtual interviews conducted as part of the Longmont Voices and Vision Project, with Longmont Public Media. Responses to the third question suggest Longmonters will be drawn to a future that is more just, balanced, equitable, sustainable, healthy, shared, and connected. Because of how COVID-19 altered "normal" life in 2020, the project contributors I've interviewed are more, not less, aspirational about the future. Anyone wanting their voice and vision included in this project and willing to spend 15 minutes need only contact me and we will schedule an interview.
—Tim Waters, [email protected]
