Note from the ACDIS Editor: Time passes in the blink of an eye
by Carolyn Riel
I know I’ve written one of these before: a look back at my time so far with ACDIS. But now instead of the humble one-year, I’m coming up on two years once we hit the start of September. Which is, somehow, next week.
Am I the only one who feels time is passing exponentially faster lately? Sometimes I still put the date as 2020 even as we’re approaching 2022. This summer has flown by (I know, it’s not quite over yet, but I’m a fall-lover so I’m counting down the days). It quite literally boggles my mind to think we are much closer to the upcoming winter holiday season than we are to last year’s. And don’t even get me started on how I feel about my 29th birthday coming up shortly…the pandemic stole a year and a half of my 20s.
I guess it should be no surprise, then, that my time so far with ACDIS has also flown by, especially considering ¾ of my time here has been working remotely. At the same time, though, some of my first weeks with ACDIS feel like truly ages ago. It’s so weird how that contradiction works; time passes in the blink of an eye, but also only days ago feel like years have passed.
I remember within my first two weeks with ACDIS, I was lucky enough to experience my first CDI Week. The theme that year was superheroes, and my first task with the company on that second day? Take videos of Brian Murphy, Melissa Varnavas, and Linnea Archibald wearing capes and masks on top of the parking garage to use for GIFs. You think I’m joking, but I’m not. I also accompanied Melissa and Linnea to Party City to find said capes and masks to pass out in the office for everyone to celebrate CDI Week.
A month later, we decorated our area of the office as Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, and by November I attended my first ACDIS Outpatient Symposium. The holidays came and went, and then a few months to start off 2020 before COVID flew in and pushed us all home. That’s where we’ve been ever since, though I will say I am very excited for our (hopeful) upcoming plans to return onsite and see each other in the office again.
Adjusting to working from home was a big change at first. I remember when we all thought it would just be a couple of weeks (so naive) and I sat on the floor with my laptop on the coffee table to work. After two months, I realized that wouldn’t work and upgraded to a table and more ergonomic setup. Those first few months with COVID seemed to drag on forever, the unknown making time pass slowly.
Then it was like one day the race was on and days began flying by. Since then, everything seems to have happened so quickly and I can hardly believe I’ve been with ACDIS for two years. While I’ve definitely built a much stronger grasp on the world of CDI and have a wealth more of knowledge than when I began, I still find there’s always something new, always something to learn.
I realize now how Brian has been with ACDIS for 17 years, Melissa shortly behind him, and I have no doubts I’ll follow those same footsteps as well.
You know what they say: time flies when you’re having fun.
Editor’s Note: Riel is the editor for ACDIS. Contact her at criel@acdis.org.