A Photo Essay by Karen E. Dimick

On the day the World stopped…

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Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Clorox Wipes and bottled water became coveted commodities.

On the day the World stopped…

Schools closed, daycares closed and every parent became a home schooler and a child care worker overnight, some more successfully than others.

On the day the World stopped…

Church didn’t take place in a building, it happened on-line, in homes and in hearts.

On the day the World stopped…

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Theaters closed, stadiums closed, play places closed, but Netflix, family game nights and creative ways to have fun grew in popularity.

On the day the World stopped…

Inclusion became a bad word and we learned that social distancing and face masks were a thing.

On the day the World stopped…

The positive influence of the internet took on a whole new meaning as we learned how to distance learn, distance work, distance socialize and distance entertain.

On the day the World stopped…

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Gyms, playground equipment and pools closed, but people rediscovered biking, neighborhood walks and indoor fitness routines.

On the day the World stopped…

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Travel became complicated, travel bans were enacted, trips were cut short, travelers returned to empty airports, some only after going to extreme lengths to come home, airplanes emptied out, flights were canceled, and we relished the few, remote opportunities we had to get away.

On the day the World stopped…

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Actors stayed home, athletes hung up their gear, and musicians played virtually, if they could, but we found all new heroes in our grocers, our trash collectors, our truck drivers and our health care workers.

On the day the World stopped…

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The mall parking lot transformed into a storage space and a drive up opportunity, store shelves emptied out, and our neighborhoods became places to share and care.

On the day the World stopped…

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Dining in was out, dining at home was in and Chuck E. Cheese became a take-out restaurant

On the day the World stopped…

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We learned the virus is real, it reached our friends and loved ones, people got sick, people got hospitalized, some even died, but we also learned miracles do happen.

On the day the World stopped…

Our events were cancelled, our calendars were cleared and we all learned its okay to slow down just a bit, to spend time in our houses and with our families, appreciate what we have. And maybe, just maybe we can get along with each other and we can all return to health and sanity.

Thanks to all of my contributors who shared what their lives looked like, with words and images.