I'm married during these times of COVID-19, and we're both trying to find strength in our differences.
We are not alone. We are all grieving what
COVID-19 has taken from us; our lives as we knew them. We might not all be brave doctors and nurses, but our place in this fight was cemented the moment the virus breached our borders. Fighting back is our only option now, so this is how me and mine are doing it.
As a spirited introvert living with a high-spirited extrovert, the strengths in our differences are important now more than ever. We are learning a new kind of trust. One where your partner is as responsible for your health as you are for theirs. Without the differences in our personalities, this would be extremely hard. Our way of coping is to share tasks according to both our strengths and weaknesses.
I'm a naturally anxious nerd. This means my job in the house is to be up to date with the latest news on COVID-19. I get my news from three responsible and reliable sources:
WHO,
Africa CDC and
The Ministry of Health. This is usually the hardest part of the day for me. I limit it to one hour in the morning and then sit down with my partner to talk about any relevant news.
Her job is to sift through everything I have found and help me recognize the things worth worrying about. She'll be the first to remind me that scary words like pandemic, shutdown, and curfew don't mean the world is ending. They are just an indication of a society taking responsible action.
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