Anthony Faust

I am a husband and a father of 10- and 13-year-old girls. Like many, I was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I was sent home from my job with my laptop on March 11, 2020, and have not been back into my company’s office space since. Like everyone reading this book, it was challenging to adapt to the new world COVID-19 pandemic brought with it. We did some amazing things during the pandemic response. I have fond memories of doing drive-by birthdays for my kid’s friends. I remember the exact spot I was on my jog when I found a hand painted rock that read “We are in this together!” and it was so genuinely touching. I had regular Zoom happy hours with a close group of friends. I will never forget that unique experience. I got to spend so much quality time with my wife, kids, and family. For all the good, there was also a lot of negatives. I helped my youngest daughter do her daily math homework during distance learning. I saw how frustrated she got when she was trying to finish a session on a terribly designed application on her iPad. I saw both girls deal with wearing masks while playing sports. Face masks do not belong on young kids when they are running up and down the basketball court. Or skating on the ice. Or in school. And I watched our leaders politicize COVID-19. Making and changing policies that didn’t seem founded in facts repeatedly. I watched small businesses permanently shut their doors. I watched the richest people in America accumulate insane amounts of wealth. My intention with this book is to document some of the things we did, so we would remember it in the future. History repeats itself. The next time we encounter something like COVID-19, I hope some of the lessons we learned in this book help us make better decisions, and not repeat some the mistakes. It was a fun project to work on.