Danielle Govias

Wash your hands!

Don’t touch your face!

Stay home!

These are all statements we’ve been hearing for the last month that are now ingrained into our brains.  This pandemic has turned our lives upside down and none of us know when things will return back to “normal”.  Well wouldn’t you know that my world was truly turned upside down because I am a new mom returning to the workforce. Great timing, right?  I returned to work two weeks before the lockdown occurred in Toronto, and at that same time, my son’s daycare closed.    So now here I am working from home, while trying to watch at infant at the same time. 

Any new mother returning to the workforce knows that it’s a very emotional time.  You feel guilty for leaving your child, and then feel nervous about going back to work.  Will I remember how to do my job? What if I’m not “good” at my job anymore? What will I do if my child is sick while I’m at work?  While asking yourself these questions, add a layer of ‘global pandemic’, and you’ve really got yourself a shitshow.  I am exhausted, scared, anxious, and about 100 other emotions.

I worry about keeping my husband and son healthy and safe. I worry about my friends and extended family, and hope that they are safe.  I worry about the world, and what the repercussions will be once this is all over. There is one thing that I don’t worry about, however, and that’s losing my job.  I’m one of the lucky few who hasn’t been laid off during the pandemic.  I’ve seen family and friends struggle emotionally and financially because they have lost their jobs. I can’t even imagine how it must feel to worry about keeping your family safe, while wondering how you will keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

Working at Delvinia means that I can save my worries for my family and feel confident knowing I still have my job.  Not only do I still have my job, but I work with some really amazing people.  My coworkers and I have really banded together during this time and support each other when we need it.  Returning to work from mat leave during a pandemic was not on my bucket list, but having my coworkers around me has really made things better.   I know that I can go to them when I feel scared or stressed or worried and they will be there for me.

Let’s be honest, we don’t know when the pandemic will end.  I don’t know when I will be able to see my family and friends again, and I don’t know when life will get back to “normal”.  What I do know is that I’m surrounded by an amazing group of people, during a time when I need them most.