If you were a fan of Downton Abbey and remember the Maggie Smith character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, you may even recall how she said in her aristocratic way, “What is this thing you call a weekend?”. For the landed gentry of England who didn’t work, what did a weekend mean? For those of you working from home, dealing first with home schooling and then kids on summer break, and with vacation trips cancelled, you may ask the same question. But it’s because every day seems to run into the next during this pandemic.

As we approach the final summer holiday and three-day weekend we know as Labor Day, hopefully you won’t have to “labor” but can actually take a break. In the health systems I worked at, August was the big vacation month – especially in the academic medical centers. When I was CIO at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one of my VP colleagues would remind us that after Labor Day it is a sprint until the holidays in December. He’d say let your family know how busy you’ll be and be sure to take a break in August somehow.

With a trip to Disney with grandkids and a European trip cancelled this year, my husband and I feel like one day just rolls into the next as I’m sure many of you do. I’ve written in the past about the importance of making time to reboot and the 6 R’s of summer. But this year is different. I only hope that all of you and especially those on the front lines of this pandemic have found time for a much needed and well-deserved break, somewhere, somehow.

If you are feeling overwhelmed at times, this article by Tara Haelle may resonate with you – “Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful”. It describes our personal “surge capacity” and how to manage through these times. The article was first shared with me by my oldest daughter with this simple note – “sums it up”. She is a nurse practitioner in Boston and worked ICU shifts with Covid-19 patients in the spring before returning to her orthopedics unit. She has two young children – one starting kindergarten and a 4-year-old at a day care center.

The arc of this pandemic in the U.S. started with the Spring peak in the Northeast and New England states. Then there was the peak this summer as states re-opened and the virus seemed to spread out of control. And ahead of us is the yet unknown impact of the August/September back to school.

The decisions faced by parents of school age children and college students as well as by teachers are some of the hardest ones that people are facing now. I don’t envy them. I watch from a distance as my daughters and their husbands get ready to send their young children to school. So far so good for them after several weeks of day camp and childcare centers re-opening. But we all know what the numbers look like on college campuses and the schools that have already opened.

As we all try to stay informed and make the right decisions for our families, I encourage you to check out two podcasts I’ve mentioned in the past – Andy Slavitt’s In the Bubble and the Osterholm Update – Covid-19 with Dr. Michael Osterholm. They have both covered the challenges of school openings recently including In the Bubble this week “Toolkit: School’s in Session”. And if each of them alone is not enough, they spoke together on In the Bubble last week – “What’s Next with the Pandemic”.

And continuing the arc of 2020, the most consequential election ever is just two months from now. We are dealing with a pandemic, social unrest, and an economic crisis. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I encourage you to stay informed, know the rules and deadlines in your state and be sure to vote your values.

Be well. Be strong. Be smart.