I Feel a Little Guilty but the Pandemic was the Best Year

No I’m not a billionaire

Memorial candles in Japan. Photo by author.

The pandemic reminds us tragedy and suffering are ever-present parts of human life. The photo above is from a memorial to the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1997. My neighborhood was particularly hard hit. The pain of those who lost loved ones is still strong 24 years later. This year those that lost loved ones or suffered significant health or financial hardships will look back on the 2020–2021 pandemic year with sadness.

I’ve been very fortunate. There were a few bumps along the way. I had to adjust to teaching online. I couldn’t meet friends. I couldn’t go to a movie. We had to cancel a long-anticipated family trip abroad. But really, none of that is that big of a deal.

The previous two years I was working way too much. The money was good, but I was getting tired. One day of the week I had to literally run from class at one school to make all the transportation links during lunch hour to get to class at another school. I worked all day Saturday. I usually went to the office on Sunday for most of the day just to keep up. It was exhausting and I rarely saw my family.

I’m lucky. My new employer could simply move the work online. I was able to keep my salary and…