Mar 18
The pandemic upended our lives. Is there anything we can learn from the past two years?
The last two years have taught all of us many lessons that are worth remembering, including those about how we lead our lives, both personally and professionally, under the context of this new normal. For me, spending time with friends & family has always been a priority and I greatly missed having that personal connection. One of the people I missed the most was my twin sister, Kelly Solomon, who lives across the country. Kelly and I went almost two years without seeing each other and it was the first time in our entire lives that we spent our birthday apart. I’m sharing this picture from one of our childhood birthdays — which encapsulates how special our relationship has been throughout our lives. Kelly thrived during the pandemic, raising her two beautiful children, taking on a big new role as the Global CMO of Kind and continuing to inspire those around her. So, I wanted to ask her a few questions about how she kept such a positive attitude throughout it all and to share some wisdom with the rest of us.
Amy Powell: What lessons can we learn from the past year and a half about not just managing our time, but managing our wants, needs, and obligations?
Kelly Solomon: The past year and a half has been eye opening. The biggest lesson I learned was a reminder that life is short, this is not a dress rehearsal, every day passes and is gone so it’s up to you to make the most of it. You know it and say it but until you’re faced with a life-altering change overnight, you don’t really understand it. I’ve commuted to a job for 20+ years, leaving my kids before breakfast and coming home after dinner and logging on after their bedtime. We looked forward to vacations and spent holidays with family and I was happy. But the pandemic made me realize that I was living in the big, scheduled moments on the calendar that were planned for in advance. Suddenly I was working from home and the kids were doing school from home and were we together all time and I realized, it’s the micro moments in between the big ones were I want to live. Over the past year and a half I’ve gotten to really know my kids and I’m eternally thankful for it.
Amy: Who did you prioritize seeing (in-person) pre-COVID, and how many of those relationships did you prioritize during COVID?
Kelly: I’ve always prioritized my family, it’s who you are and where you come from and the ones who will be there at the end. A pandemic didn’t change that. My family was my bubble and we still spent holidays and special occasions together and I’m grateful that we all made the effort. I didn’t prioritize one relationship over another during COVID, I talked to friends and figured out how to spend time together. My best friend of 40+ years moved from across the country to live 10 mins from me during the pandemic. We saw each other once a week, we walked her dog or sat outside with the kids or rode bikes — the only change was that we often talked about COVID. I prioritized seeing my college friends, as I always do, and we had smart conversations and laughed and ate and drank like we always do.
Amy: So, what freedoms would you like to keep in your schedule moving forward?
Kelly: I absolutely want to keep the freedom of working from home on certain days so I can spend more time with my kids before and after school. I love being more involved in their lives and the school and the community. It’s been a gift and I am so thankful for it.
Amy: Do you have certain relationships that are worth prioritizing in this new normal?
Kelly: Every relationship is worth prioritizing. We are who we are because we have relationships with the people in our lives. We are defined by the relationships we keep.
About Amy Powell:
Amy Powell is a recognized entertainment industry leader and pioneer in the next generation of digital marketing & content creation. As an entrepreneur and founder of multiple digital, film and television companies, her expertise spans across digital marketing, story-telling, brand-building, content creation and business intelligence.
