Like many people I spent much of March in a state of absolute fear and April feeling stifled until I processed my emotions and began to ask myself how I was going to get through this global Coronavirus pandemic. I deep cleaned the house; disinfected and detailed the cars; cleaned out the garage; reorganized the pantry like a Pinterest photo shoot; grew scallions and basil on my windowsills, planned recipes with all the unbleached flour and ginger I hoarded; joined several workout groups on Facebook; and stared mindlessly out the window.

Somewhere in the unorganized storage room, I found my sewing machine and began making hundreds of masks for medical professionals from the cotton t-shirts I’ve saved from roads races, things I once thought of putting together for t-shirt quilts.

Every thing we do now to stay healthy and move forward will become a part of our unique American history. How we live today is a significant part of our life story. We are still living it.

Staring out the window I asked myself: If my entire life is about to change, how do I want to live tomorrow? What will be OK? What do I want to accomplish for my family? Are the plans I previously made for my future still worthy goals? Is there anything I can get started from the quiet of my home today?

As states slowly lift their stay-at-home orders and you emerge from your home, don’t rush away from your bucket list of ideas. Consider the following life story questions to write or record your own Coronavirus story:

  1. Describe how you were living life when the Coronavirus (COVID-19) became an epidemic in late 2019 and early 2020? Both work and home.
  2. When did you start paying more attention to the news about the virusWhat made you take the warning signs seriously?
  3. How did you prepare your home once the virus was becoming more serious?
  4. Describe how you prepared as shops and businesses shut down as governors signed executive order dictating people to stay at home.
  5. Tell how the virus impacted people in your area and how quickly it duplicated.
  6. Talk about how testing and treatments developed in your area.
  7. Were people you knew able to get tested?
  8. Did you or anyone in your family suffer from the virus?  Talk about their stories.
  9. Were there an extensive job losses in your area?
  10. Where businesses able to reopen afterward?
  11. What was it like seeing the business community shut down in your area? Streets empty, except for people walking? Was it extra quiet?
  12. What did you notice about wildlife returning in your area or weather changes?
  13. How did your household adjust to the stay-at-home orders?
  14. How did you handle feeling isolated? How did you stay connected to other people?
  15. What kinds of routines did you create?
  16. Describe how you managed your time?
  17. Did you build, paint, repair, or create anything?
  18. What new skills did you learn?
  19. What did you grow or cook?
  20. Describe what it was like getting food for your household.
  21. Did you receive a stimulus check?
  22. What did you learn about yourself?
  23. Describe how family members adjusted to the new routines.
  24. How did you pets adjust to having you home all day?
  25. How did you stay active?
  26. How did the suddenness of other people’s illness and passing cause you to rethink your final wishes?
  27. Did you gather or change any of your legal documents?
  28. Did you write a family love letter, known as an ethical will, to keep with your legal documents?
  29. How has this virus changed you? 
  30. What are you not willing to live without should something like this happen again in your lifetime?  How will you prepare, both mentally, physically and financially, to be self sustaining?
  31. What words, photos, or videos did you take that illustrate your time during the stay-at-home order?
  32. Describe how you wore masks and your feelings on having to wear one.
  33. What else did you do to keep safe?
  34. Are there any other questions or stories that you’d like to contribute about this time?
  35. Describe how it felt to be out in the public and, yet, six feet apart from another human being.