SINGLE MOM EAGERLY ADJUSTS TO NEW LIFE POST-PANDEMIC
Delia Paige, a single mother of five, is adjusting to the new life that the remnants of last year's pandemic left her with. She now works from home and the kids have returned to in-person learning. Delia and her family were able to relocate during the pandemic and start a new chapter in life in a new city. Even outside of the relocation to Charlotte, NC, life for Delia and her family has changed in a big way.
Delia is an LPN and works at Genworth Financial, as a Claims Intake Manager. At the brink of the pandemic, Genworth took its employees to virtual status so that they could remain employed and keep business going. "I was really lucky that I was able to keep my job and have the luxury of working remotely all while being able to be at home with the kids throughout the pandemic," says Delia. With four school-aged children in the home, she was able to be there with them while they were doing virtual learning during the pandemic making life easier than it was before.
Before quarantine, Delia's life was hectic, to say the least. With early morning alarms, getting kids on the bus, commuting to work, stopping for coffee, work, football practice, dinner, and homework, Delia was completely exhausted during the week. "It was insanity, after a long day of my normal routine I would have to get back up and start all over again the next day," she says.
Delia's new daily routine is far less stressful and demanding than the routine she had before the pandemic. "Now my wakeup time is not so early, I still have to get my youngest to school in the morning, but we only live 5 minutes away from the school. After I drop him off, I come back home and I actually have some time to myself before I have to clock in for work. The workday is not as hectic without the commute to work and I can even fold a load of laundry on my lunch break or meal prep for dinner," says Paige. There's a sense of relief in her voice as she talks about her new life post-pandemic.
Delia was fortunate that no one in her household caught the virus and attributes that mostly to the fact that she was able to work remotely, and the kids remained at home doing school virtually instead of at school. Since then, the kids have returned to in-person learning and Delia is okay with that because she realized during the pandemic that the kids missed the social interaction that they received from the school. "I wasn't hesitant to send them back to school because I know they need the hands-on instruction and interaction with their peers. To take precautions we are now taking vitamins and eating lots of green vegetables as a family to keep our immune systems boosted. I am also an advocate for mask-wearing to take proper precaution," she stated.
Delia has worked hard over the years to ensure that everyone in her household's needs are met. So much so that since the pandemic she's had time to reflect on what it means to take better care of herself. "I came to the realization that I could not pour from an empty cup, so I have since found ways to make sure that I am looking after myself because no one else is going to do it," she said. One of Delia's new favorite pastimes which fuels both her mental and physical health is a new virtual fitness program called E2M that she has joined and uses daily as a form of "me time". E2M is a private virtual training group that meets on Facebook and provides its E2M clients with videos, meal plans, and other content to keep its members motivated to transform their lifestyles into healthy ones. "It's something that I am doing for me," Wilson states. Delia is happy that life has taken this turn for her and her family in more ways than one.