Missed a professional opportunity

To my considerable surprise, I was one of maybe fifty-ish people to be invited to a two-day national workshop related to my current job, all expenses paid by the Sloan Foundation. However, it happens in-person, this spring in another state. The workshop was originally slated for a couple of years ago, it has already been repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic, I guess they decided to finally hold it.

Not only does my personal life remain in some disarray but, more significantly, we have varieties of omicron stalking the land now, possibly even more variants by then. In interacting with attendees in a university and hotel setting, I do not believe that I could have properly immersed myself in it and felt safe, my place is better offered to somebody less risk-averse who can contribute wholeheartedly even in these conditions. Regardless, goodness, I would have loved to go; I communicated my regret accordingly and hope to be considered for future events.