In May of 2021, a year+ into the pandemic, I posed a question to my friends and family:

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What have you accomplished over the past year? What are you proud of?

 

I understood that everyone was overwhelmed and scared, sad and confused. I had friends who had weathered the COVID storm while teaching children at home or with elderly parents in their care, friends who felt isolated and alone, or who had a house full of family driving them up the wall, friends who lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost hope.

 

I also knew that every single one of them had persevered, and I wanted to know how. More importantly, I wanted them to see it and feel it. To hear the words coming out of their own mouths: “I am proud of what I’ve done and what I’ve been through.”

 

The response I received was incredible – 54 people shared almost 300 individual accomplishments. Some sent one or two, others sent lists of 10 or more. From huge life changes to the day-to-day tasks of simple survival, we did not just get by. In finding creative ways to cope, we made deeper connections to others, learned new skills, created art, supported causes, cared for each other, got outside, practiced self-care, and so much more.

 

Taken all together, the similarities were striking, the resiliency remarkable. The book is a collection of just some of these accomplishments (at least one for every contributor), paired with illustrations done by 20 artistic friends. Here on the website, you can find even more info - a full list of all the accomplishments shared, an expanded pandemic timeline, and bios for each of the illustrators below.

 

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for surviving the past two+ years, and for continuing on – in whatever ways you know how.

 

Your accomplishments, however small, are valid and impressive.

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Rochester, NY 

June 2022

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