Wow, talking about what I am an expert on is one I do not enjoy. As I ponder what to write and push aside my feelings of either under or overachieving, I reminded myself of the obvious. I am an expert at being me. As being the oldest (60) I find myself overthinking due to my life experience. In a world that has changed in so many ways due to the pandemic, and continuously transforming our lives, I truly believe I am an expert at finding solutions to any problem that presents itself.

This problem-solving skill comes easy to me, and I have been practicing for quite some time. At the beginning of the pandemic, I tutored a woman who resides at a transitional shelter that I have committed myself to be an aid to the staff for almost seven years. The tutoring took place in my home and the goal was to prepare her for an entrance exam towards acceptance at a home health aid program. She was accepted and has since graduated. She has never been employed in her life. It took hours of phone calls and outreach to NYC and find a program that was still teaching virtually. I was seeking to connect with the city to engage those who needed their services even in the middle of the pandemic.

I am an expert at being who I have always been and the skills I learned along the way have instilled in me to be courageous and not just exist but to live. Life is meant to be lived and experienced and being a humanitarian is not just an idea, it is meant to be a reality. Together, we can change the narrative of our circumstances, even in the middle of a pandemic. Let us not wait for a catastrophe to be our best selves, let us do it in the present. The feelings and the fruit of the commitment are priceless. My expertise is being me.

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