I remember it like it was yesterday. I got on the plane with a package of wipes. As I was wiping down the seats, armrests, and window, I noticed the lady across the aisle staring at me.

She was a nurse. She said what I was doing wouldn't matter.

I told her it gave me just a little peace of mind.

This was a novel virus. Nobody knew how it was transmitted. It was speculated that it was via surface. You'd pick up the virus by touching a surface an infected person had touched.

Who knew it would be spread through the air we breathe?

As I was flying INTO the hotbed of the coronavirus (SeaTac airport, Seattle, WA) where the virus originally broke out in the US, I was concerned. Not worried.

Fast forward 4+ years. I'm in a hotel room in Las Vegas typing this post. It's nearly 6am. I'm getting ready to go into a building with hundreds of people for the third day in a row.

There are a few people here wearing masks. COVID is still on the minds of us all.

And it's weird. I haven't worn a mask in a couple of years. I've had COVID. I've gotten all the vaccines I'm eligible for. I'm fairly healthy (long story–LOL).

I barely think of the thing that consumed billions of people just a few years ago.

The lasting impact of COVID for me? This is the FIRST business meeting I've been on since January 2020.

I know a lot of people died. I know a lot of people who were very sick. Most of us wore masks for month after month for what seemed like two years. We all stayed inside for months. We got our food delivered. (I know, we are privileged.)

We all got COVID, though it wasn't severe. Nearly none of us escaped it in some very close, direct or indirect, way.

But again, the weirdest thing: This is the first time I've been on a business trip in four years.

COVID had and continues to have a tremendous impact on me. And I'm still a bit weirded out about being about.