Today we finish our second week of social distancing. In the past week, the US has become the nation with the highest number of cases of COVID19 in the world. Colorado has gone to a stay at home order--we may only leave for essential activities (like grocery shopping) or medical care. For now, no one in our sphere is sick, but I am sure that will change soon enough.
I think that what I miss most is seeing people. We have done our best to socialize digitally--we have hosted trivia nights, a zoom family dinner, happy hour and many calls. But it is not the same. I cherish the time we are spending with our kids--it feels peaceful to spend so much time together. This week the reality of this situation started to really set in as our schools released their plan for remote learning. Yesterday I got to run into my classroom for 30 minutes to grab my materials for an undisclosed amount of time. Prior to going in, you had to use sanitizer, glove up and stay 6 (or more) feet away from cherished colleagues. Seeing their faces was joyful but knowing it may be a long time until we are all together is challenging. I spent the rest of the day in meetings coming up with a plan for what science/engineering can look like from home. I am not sure what the next week will bring, but I am sure that we will weather this storm.
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"We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life."-Paulo Coelho Life is actually really simple. All we need is food, shelter, water, and connection. However, we have, as a society, made it much more complicated. Before the Covid19 pandemic hit us, Mondays were a day filled with anxiety as I rushed to work (usually nearly late) and tried to hit the ground running. After work, there were clubs to run, dinner to cook, hockey for Jaxon, home for homework, and then a show to unwind. Sleep would finally come and then on Tuesday, we'd be up and at it again.
This morning feels different. The world as we knew it is on pause. I slept in, texted with friends, and made a leisurely cup of coffee to enjoy as I signed into the world for the morning. The news isn't good. I can't control others actions, I can't help with shortages in PPE, and I can't help but wonder what will come next. So, instead, I sit here and sip my coffee and notice some simple joys. The quietness of the house The bright blue sky outside my window The way cinnamon pops out in each sip of my coffee The feel of my new hoody on my skin There are limited plans for the day. We will play, go out for a walk, and have family dinner via zoom. I will make some art and work on plans for next week when I become an online teacher. I will give my husband a big hug when he gets home. Life right now is complicated, yet simple. I choose to lean into the simplicity and take a pause from the complexity for a little while. "In karaoke, you don't choose the song; the song chooses you." -Aisling Be a voiceboxkaraoke.com/locations/rino-denver/I love music. I love to sing. Growing up, I was choir from the time they would let me join Mrs. Heer's children's choir until the day I graduated. And then, just like that, my days of public singing went away. Why? I'm not really sure. But when I added this item to my list, it was meant to bring me back to my musical roots and the joy they bring me.
This got to come to life as we went out to celebrate Celina's birthday at the Voice Box. A new take on the classic karaoke bar, the Voice Box lets you rent out a booth Korean style and control the music with your smart phone. After a LOT of beer and white claws, we had a great time belting out nineties music, old country, and a few odd favorites. After our time was up we were having so much fun we paid to stay for another session. Next up, a live performance at the Park Center Lounge! “There is a season for everything under the sun—even when we can’t see the sun.”-Jared Brock Oh dear, sweet blog and my wonderful life list. How I have missed you! The past six months have taken our family through a hard season--one where there was a lot of darkness, a lot of love, a lot of tears, and a lot of hope. At some point, I will write up the few life list activities that we checked of our list over the past 6 months--hello Elton John! Hello Memphis! But for today, I just need to write about the here and now.
The last week has been a whirlwind as the United States has slowly shut down to encourage social distancing as a preventative measure for the Covid19 virus. Little did I know when I walked out of my classroom last Friday that I was really saying goodbye to life as we knew it. I am not sure where the next few months will lead our lives, but I do want to record them so that someday when my grandchildren ask "Where were you during the great epidemic of 2020?" I will be able to share with them a primary source document to use in their class projects. (ok, I'm always a teacher!) Week one of hunkering down was filled with a lot of resting and reflecting on what was happening. I had been teaching about the virus in my classroom since the beginning of January, so I knew that if it did hit the US we were going to be in for a wild ride. Over the past few weeks, we stocked our freezer and our pantry with food and our medicine chest with the needed relief from this respiratory virus. We cleaned the house so we could live in calmness and I helped both of the boys keep up with thinking doing an hour or two of school work. By Wednesday night, I was ready to lose my business--I was lonely and sad about what we were missing. But then, a small miracle brought out the sun. My friend Christy sent a text asking how zoom or google hangouts worked. And we tried it and shared a digital cup of coffee. Suddenly, I could see three of my favorite humans, hear their voices, and realized that we are not alone. That night, we shared our new trick with Luke's parents and on Friday we had a digital happy hour. Suddenly, the sun started to shine on my soul. Life as we know it might be missing, but I don't have to miss life. Today started week 2 of social distancing, and it was a much better day. Like my usual summer schedule, I am committing to doing 4 things each day--1 for my heart, my head, my health, and my home. Today for heart, I finished an art class that had filled my desk for over a month. Then, for my head, I read a book and started to plan for remote learning coming in another week. For my health, we went for a walk and donated blood. For my home, I watched a movie with Luke and made process on our lego Yoda for the boys. Life is different, but it is good. |
AuthorAlmost 40 and tired of the treadmill, I am going to LIVE each day as a new adventure while finishing todo items on my life list. Mom, wife, teacher, geek! Archives
May 2020
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