Note: This is a partial response.  

Professionally, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the amount of meetings to attend and connections I made across the university, as more people became comfortable using Zoom. Since I mainly teach and work with online programs, this pandemic didn't affect my classroom, except for the conversation topics. However, it has increased the willingness of faculty to try new technologies and techniques in their classroom. Personally, the pandemic changed my priorities. I became aware of unnecessary distractions and tasks keeping me from enjoying time with family and close friends.

(About handling the uncertainty of SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19:)  To gather information to stay updated on the pandemic, I have a few trusted and reliable resources that I check a few times a week. I have frequent

conversations with a few family and friends to decipher my thoughts on the topic and hear their opinions.