Saskatchewan and COVID: Our Stories — Hope for better days

March 12 marked one year since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Saskatchewan.

Over the next week, 980 CJME and 650 CKOM will bring you stories from across the province reflecting on the past year.

Today we hear from you, in a hopeful look to the future and an end to the pandemic.

Curtis Meger views the past year in a way many people might share.

“It’s crazy that the world can change in the blink of an eye,” he said.

On a sunny warm day in the park, birds were chirping and people were out and about enjoying themselves.

But it felt different than a typical spring day in any other year.

READ MORE:

• The road to recovery
• Through the eyes of children
• The year of the ‘staycation’
• Doing business in a pandemic
• Working on the front lines

Many people took a few minutes out of their day to reflect on one year of COVID-19 in our province. While most were in a good mood thanks to the balmy weather, it was easy to tell that folks are getting fed up with the pandemic.

“It’s awful. I’m sick of it,” a teenage girl said.

“I’m better now that the nice weather is here — that always makes a big difference — but I’m feeling ready to find some semblance of normalcy again, as I’m sure everybody else is,” said Casey Peart, a Regina nurse.

There is no denying it has been a crazy year — being stuck inside, working remotely, not being able to see your friends and family and maybe even getting sick, or losing someone you love to the virus.

Still, through it all, the people we spoke with clung on to hope.

Learning through struggle

Many used the pandemic as an opportunity to learn more about themselves and the world.

“I think people have realized that (you should) just enjoy the simple things in life, that we’re healthy (and) we can go for walks. You don’t have to go on all of these trips and everything … (There’s also) enjoying family. I think it’s more family-oriented now, like it used to be way back when,” Darlene Miller said.

Miller manages to stay optimistic, even though she and her husband Dennis have faced personal tragedy in the midst of the pandemic.

Dennis’ mother died over the summer.

“My mom’s funeral was down east in Ontario, and I had to view it online, but I was lucky I was able to that,” he said.

A new appreciation for family and friends was a common theme.

Tracy Ford said technology was vital to staying in touch.

“We have a core group of friends, and one of our good friends from high school moved out to B.C. many years ago,” she said. “It wasn’t until COVID that we set up a Zoom call. Now we’re like, ‘Well, duh, why didn’t we do this sooner?’

“The technology was always there, but we never thought about it until all of a sudden (there was) this pandemic and this need to reach out. I think that’s one of the good things to come out of it … You can connect with a friend who has moved to the other side of the world. Maybe it took a pandemic or a big life shakeup to go, ‘Wait a second, yeah. They don’t have to be in my hometown.’ ”

Peart agrees that she has realized just how important those close to her are.

“Not being able to be around people has really made you not take it for granted, that’s for sure.”

Keeping yourself sane and grounded

While there are many lessons to learn, living through COVID has obviously still been a challenge. Many people used all of the free time productively, and managed to keep sane in their own unique way.

Meger plays hockey with the University of Regina Cougars. The season’s cancellation was tough on him, but he has been trying his best to stay busy.

“We were lucky enough to be able to play our sport for however many years and then it was just taken away in the matter of a month. Right now, it’s just about training hard and when we get back, we take advantage of the opportunities,” he said.

The way he’s been keeping sane is pretty simple.

“Working out quite a bit and the odd video game here and there,” he said with a laugh.

Another man was walking his dog and gave a lot of credit to his furry friend.

“Without my boy here, there would be some pretty boring days,” the man said.

Ford also enjoyed company of a four-legged companion.

“I do have a cat. His name is Mr. Waffles … He seems attracted to technology,” she said with with a laugh. “Anytime you’re on a Zoom call or whatever, my colleagues all say, ‘Oh, we’re just waiting for Mr. Waffles to make an appearance … Oh, there he is.’ ”

Terry Firlott is single and lives by himself, so staying in touch was very important to him.

“Usually I get out to see my kids, but you have to be careful, because they both have spouses … You can only have groups of five, or four, or whatever it is, wherever you go … It’s more about just learning how to entertain yourself … You have to stay busy. You catch up on things, just to keep your mind off everything else,” he said.

One way he has done that is through home renovations and even restoring an old truck to working condition.

For Laurie Collins, it was a little bit of everything.

“(There has been) a daily walk outdoors,” she said. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading. I’ve spent a lot of time on the internet; calls and emails with family and friends.”

Looking forward to the future

It might be in weeks or months, but as the vaccine rollout continues and health measures are slowly eased, many are hanging on to hope that the pandemic will soon come to an end.

When that day comes, many have their plans ready to go.

Many wanted to hop on a plane as soon as possible.

“(I’ll go) wherever — Mexico or Asia or something. I’m definitely going to get away … It’s a lot warmer and there’s an ocean … It will just be nice to be back in shorts and flip-flops again,” Firlott said.

Of course, big family gatherings were also high up on the list.

“I think it’s a big family supper with a smoker and a really nice piece of meat from the butcher. Having a bunch of family and friends over and just having a meal together,” Ford said.

“I’m going to host a huge party in my backyard with all the friends I miss so much,” Peart said.

Hope for an end to the pandemic

These are uncertain times, but the optimistic spirit of Saskatchewan is still alive and well.

One woman put it frankly.

“It has been crappy, and very life-changing,” she said. “But you know what? We’re going to look back and go ‘We survived all of this.’ ”

“The end is near, and I hope that’s the truth. I hope we can get through this,” Meger said.

No matter how difficult it has been, it’s no longer an uphill battle.

“It’s tough sledding … Just being at home and not being able to go outside, it’s a little tough at times. But you have to do it for the right reasons and we’ll get through it,” Firlott concluded.