What Were You Doing Way Back When in 2020?

I’m reading a book right now, set in our recent Covid/Pandemic past. As I’m not doing much writing, it has made me think about what my characters are doing to get through it. I think in terms of my fictional universe, as these characters have been living inside my head for years. Some have almost complete stories,(Lena, Isabel) while some have been ignored (Angela) and some I’ve recently pulled out of the character box and am writing about (Rachel) and others are still in the character box. I’m trying to find a way to come back to writing full time, both fiction and non-fiction. I’d like to get my feet wet again the freelance-journalism pool and really want to devote other time to my stories. I feel like I’m starting over again, but I finally feel ready to take the first steps.
A journey cannot start without taking the first step. Nothing happens over night, without making an effort and moving forward. Staying stuck in one place or the past gets you no where. Even stuck in Limbo, there is hope to move forward and so I must begin with the first step.
I suppose if I was in a writing group or hanging out with other writers, I’d figure out what my characters were doing three years ago when the pandemic started. Right now, I just want to keep working on the story paths I’ve started and see them come to a stopping point. In my head, even through the story technically comes to an end, my universe continues.