" ...My struggle has been with the existential crisis of what it means to teach science... Good science education doesn’t happen through a screen. I need my students in front of me. They need a lab group to work with. We need each other..."

due focacceria, St. Paul, Minn.

"...Telling the stories of our Essential Workers is the best thing I have ever done as an artist. It's given me a way through the pandemic and a way to be of service to others..."

"...We can argue amongst each other all day, but we’ve recently had to have arguments with ourselves... And I think we’ve come to see that life is less binary than we once thought. We can hold different viewpoints at once. And we can change our minds given new information. I pray we remember that..."

The Grandview Theatre, Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, Minn.

Found while on the way to tell a story...

"...Right before the pandemic, my wife and I became first-time parents...To have a pandemic interrupt many of those first-time experiences has been hard, but it has also allowed us to figure it out what works for us..."

"...Midwifery literally means 'with women', and since the pandemic began I cannot be with women in the same way. They can't see my face behind a mask. I hate to admit that I don't want to be in their room, sitting with them in their labor bed, for hours on end like a midwife should be..."

"...We are trying really hard to keep everyone safe. We are not being careless about wearing masks and we are constantly wiping things down with disinfectant. Because of The Pandemic I feel like I’ve grown more responsible and I have more pride in my work..."

Spyhouse Coffee, Macalester-Groveland, St. Paul, Minn.

"...Currently I sometimes feel safer working at the hospital or clinic than I do at the grocery store. In the healthcare settings I know what I am exposed to and how to prevent it. In the grocery store, there are people who think they don't need to take appropriate precautions..."

"What was it you always said?

We're connected by a thread..."

The National, The Pull of You

"...My shop has been closed since March 18 until further notice. But, there has been some good. I am now fully stocked up on family time... However. I’m angered by the way this administration has handled just about everything... "

"...I worry most about customers who are alone. Most of the closest relationships I’ve had day to day on my routes have been with elderly people who live alone... knowing that I might be the only person they talk to for that day, I treasure that contact..."

" ...it's OK to come to the ER if you don’t have Covid-19 but are concerned about other symptoms you are experiencing. We will do everything we can to try to prevent you from becoming infected while we diagnose the myriad of other dangerous conditions that cause illness and death... "

But we were born for Connection. Where does that leave us?

"...The uncertainty of it all is of course terrifying. The airline industry always has its ups & downs, (see what i did there?) but... simply not knowing if i will have a job due to furloughs in a few months is scary..."

"...I have been so inspired by members of our faith community who are loving and serving others in innovative ways that are safe, loving, and ethical... Thanks to virtual meeting platforms, phones, and the United States Postal Service we can remain spiritually connected and engaged..."

"...I struggle with how COVID-19 deaths are talked about in relation to the aging population. The statistics thrown around about how the majority of deaths are due to the elderly and care facilities. These are our most vulnerable people, they are loved, they are cherished, they are important..."

Hey, Moms! You are loved. And so, so Essential ❤️

"...When the pandemic first happened, I had no idea how I was going to teach these classes... My students deserve a similar (if not better) experience than students who have taken these courses in the past. So I'm working my butt off to keep the classes active and interesting..."

"...I cannot disconnect from the feelings that my patients feel. If I did I think it would be time to change careers. But in the meantime; it leaves me drained which leaves my family with a lot less of what they so badly need right now..."

"Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars..."

"...Hospitality people are born hustlers - we know how to pivot and persevere - but things are going to be very different and very difficult for a long time coming. There’s going to be a lot of reckoning, re-examining and reinvention..."

Lt. Col David Raab prefers the image to appear without a quote.

"...people with Covid19 are some of the sickest people I've cared for in my 18-years in critical care... I've seen people pull through and leave the ICU waving to us. I've also seen the other side. We try everything we know to do and it still doesn't work. And it's crushing..."

"...I worry for my husband who has a weakened immune system. I worry for my children who are missing their friends, and feel like this will never end. I worry for my grandmothers who are 85 and 93, living alone and in assisted living (respectively)..."

"...The hospital is always a scary place but right now it’s an especially lonely, scary place not just for the patients but also for all the staff... I fear that people will return to their self centered ways and forget the vulnerable, forget the suffering and forget that feeling of just wanting to help..."

"...Recycling is as important as ever to maintaining a supply chain of crucial products. My daily focus at work has radically shifted due to the pandemic to simply keeping people healthy..."

" ... My job wasn’t really a job until The Pandemic... now it’s playing a huge role in keeping people safe. So everything about it is new and I’m just trying to figure it out as I go..."

We miss you too, i like you too.

"...I became a mom during The Pandemic. So, first and foremost, I have taken on a very fulfilling and challenging new role in life... Being on maternity leave from my job during this time has been challenging. I wish I could be more involved and supportive to my colleagues..."

" ...It is equal parts teacher, advocate, and counselor. Helping students cope AND learn is a unique challenge... I’ve actually had to work longer hours and remain in 'school mode' much later into my day. My students are on my mind a lot of the time..."

"...As a health care provider I am used to seeing, hearing and physically touching patients. This has gone away as we have moved to virtual visits... So I have lost and am missing the direct patient care..."

"...I sent my students the message that Walz had for them, 'The class of 2020, you will not be defined by staying home and missing proms and missing graduations, you will be defined by understanding how interconnected our world is and what it means to come together and solve hard problems'..."

" . . .My daily pandemic rollercoaster of feelings includes grief, anxiety, fortitude, gratitude, moxie, outrage, inspiration, wallowing and nihilism. I remind myself that I am strong and I am smart. I find small moments of peace..."

"...The emotions are raw and real. Some days I’m scared or worried I’m utterly failing balancing home and work life. Other days I feel truly grateful – and guilty..."

"...with COVID-19 as the backdrop, life continues to march on - with deaths and births and fights and reunions and every other thing - but it is all so much more intense - brighter, sharper, stronger, harder. So I feel resigned and defeated some days and other days hopeful and optimistic..."

"...I hope that from this time comes a better understanding by the public of how hard everyone at a hospital works... Like John Roberts said when you meet a janitor, food worker, phlebotomist or whomever, learn their name and address them by their name. It's the only good thing I've ever heard a Republican say..."

" ...COVID19 has introduced disconnection, inadequacy and loneliness to my work. Over the last couple of months I have often felt like an intern in training again. Everything is new and changes every day. I don't know what to touch first and when to wash my hands again, or what PPE to wear or reuse..."