REFLECTIONS: December 16, 2021 | Awkward Conversations

Panelists:

Laura Grayson, Embark Coworking Community Manager, Ruffwear

Judith Sadora, Triune Health and Wellness, Master of Counseling Instructor at OSU Cascades

Moderator:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Lead Pastor at Bend First Presbyterian

Last week’s forum was a discussion and acknowledgement that the emotions we have while living through a two year long pandemic are valid and common. We continue to live in society where basic daily decisions like wearing a mask or not can cause anger and anxiety the moment we step into a public space. Our co-workers, family and friends may have made different decisions that change the way we feel about each other. There are emotions about returning to work or maybe about those remaining virtual. Vaccine requirements and mandates bring about a tension that we are all trying to manage. And finally, there is pain. For those that we have lost and the experiences we can never get back. The media further plays on all these emotions.

And then comes the moment we do gather again. At church, over dinner, at a work, for book club, traveling or at City Club. Click here for a humorous example of this return. Remember when a conversation about the weather was the small talk go to (it still is, we live Central Oregon after all)? Now so many conversations start or end with COVID.

And Omicron throws us back into the emotional spiral again. Take care this holiday season. We hope to see you in January but acknowledge we may need to pivot again as conditions change.