Creating balloon floats and costumes for the annual pride parade has been a yearly tradition I’ve looked forward to for over a decade. While we were able to support the BLM Pride demonstration with a few splashes of color, this year’s celebrations have been far different from years past. I remember in early March having to tell my Mom that I didn’t feel safe having her visit for my birthday with “this covid-19 thing ?”. It was heartbreaking- but cancelling the party just had to be done. Not getting to see my mom was hard enough, and then I found out that my husband had planned a big celebration, with even more friends due to come in from out of town. I was crushed. But being a big ol’ science nerd, I knew that travel, especially interstate travel could have introduced the possibility of my celebration becoming a vector for disaster.

Science and Art have always been a focus for me. In high school, when I was trying to decide a career path, it was nearly a toss-up between them. I had one teacher who had a wall of fame highlighting the “best covers” that explained the labs visually. (I actually just looked him up on Linked In, he’s retired now- I’ll have to tell him how those covers likely inspired the infographics I’ve done over the years. Hopefully if it reaches him it will make him smile.) In another class there was one particular experiment involving pairs of gummy bears taking a tumble in a paper bag that still informs my appreciation for disease control and how quickly one community infection can transmit exponentially.

While I did choose an artistic path, I’m grateful for the solid STEM foundation (even if they didn’t call it that back then) I was afforded in my public school. Science literacy is so important, especially in these difficult times. You simply cannot politic your way out of a pandemic!

But I digress. Since the corona virus first collided with our country, my husband and I have had to pivot our business and find ways to help folks celebrate safely here at home. It’s been many a sleepless night trying to navigate supply-chain disruptions, develop new product lines, design community manufactured PPE, try to maintain employment and safety for our small business and still be there for the kids! It’s been an experiment in patience and acceptance for sure.

Not sure who said it, but “fall down seven, stand up eight” has run through my head daily these last few months. While it’s absolutely healthy to grieve, it is critical to not lose hope, to find safe ways to create joy and preserve mental health. So while standing six feet apart from my friends waving balloons today is not grand parade we’re accustomed to, recognizing the progress made and held onto by the LGBTQIA+ community is even more important this year. And I am absolutely looking forward to the day when I can go back to giving away those free mom hugs…