It still feels like a snow day. No school. Can’t go anywhere. We’re a little bit giddy. The whole lazy day stretches out ahead of us. The feeling will pass. Surely, we’ll get cranky, short with each other, spending so much time cooped up inside while school is out the next three weeks …or more?
Aside from the temporary giddy no-school feeling, life feels uncertain. Things are changing every day. Things I couldn’t even imagine before are happening daily.
11 days ago I was laughing at Corona beer memes.
8 days ago I stopped laughing at memes and started mentally scoffing at preppers.
5 days ago I was on board with being prepared.
4 days ago I laughed about people buying panic toilet paper.
3 days ago I stopped taking the virus too casually and started paying real attention.
2 days ago everything started closing.
Today, well, I don’t know what today will bring. As we prepare for the worst and hope for the best, we’re trying not to lose sight of the little things. For us, that means keeping our field trip attitude: Finding some small joy in every day. Bringing a little joy to someone else’s day.
Here’s my loose plan for us during this next week.
- Make time for fun, at least a little, daily. I’m tempted to “make the most” of this time by catching up on cleaning and other dreadful adulting “shoulds”. It’s okay to make the most of it by doing all the things you used to do > embroidery, writing, art, singing, woodworking, knitting.
- Connect daily in a meaningful way with friends and family, virtually. Remember not to ditch family while focusing on the hardships to come. Resist the urge to withdraw into my cozy solitary world of books and Netflix.
- Stay informed, but don’t dwell on the news. Limit the amount of time we spend immersed in the 24/7 coronavirus news cycle.
- Make time for the little things in life. Savor the sound of your children giggling. Walk outside and listen to birds making music, look up at the night sky, get sucked into one of the stories your dad always tells about the good old days.
- Find ways to help those who don’t have the same resources we do.
- And of course, be active and get OUTSIDE! (But stay away from others).
Right now, things are uncertain in the outside world but safe and predictable inside our home. Things will likely change. We’ll make this snow-day feeling last as long as we can.
P.S.
Need a feel-good moment that will make your eyes leak? Watch this and think about how you can use your gifts during this uncertain time.
View this post on Instagram
What’s my instrument? And how can I use my gifts to help people right now? Those are the questions we each need to ask ourselves right now. For this man, it’s the saxophone. He’s quarantined in Italy but still found a way to use his gifts to lift people’s spirits. Let’s all join him.
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