These Strange Times

Blogging seems like as good a thing to do as any during the Great Covid Quarantine. It's remarkable how many things I might do, and yet I do only little bits of each thing, distracted always by the call of a child or the weight of this situation.

Overall, we're doing fine. One member of our family heads off in his undershirt and track pants each day to work at the hospital where he dons the available scrubs and PPE, coordinates the medical troupes, and treats the sick. He returns home in his casual wear and runs through an impressive disinfecting routine (which does not involve swallowing bleach). Then we carry on like it's a normal evening, talking about our days and sometimes forgetting the strange times we live in.

At home we're doing the school thing, and in a way, it's been a nice change for me. I have opinions about learning, and my kids are now my students. Sam receives my addendums to his schooling with a modicum of wonder and compliance, while Eloise reminds me she has only one teacher and it is not me.

The silver linings are abundant. We bake more, read more, puzzle more, and color our way to calm. The kids bond to one another against the common enemy of their mother (chore time!) and find creative ways to battle the boredom. We take family walks and bike rides and explore neighborhoods never before explored. We watch the sunset with appreciation.

And we carry on toward an unpredictable end, naming our gratitude for one more day of health and togetherness knowing that those things aren't available to everyone.