Hello from week 210 6 of quarantine. It has been a journey ... one the whole world is on. At the beginning, the Corona Virus was one of those stories you hear about from another country on the news. You pray for the lives it is effecting but don't imagine it would effect your own. And it hasn't to the degree that some face, especially those who get the virus who are already immune compromised or over the age of 60. But the more it spread through travelers in airports, the more it effected the world and the closer it got to home.
It started in China and had been there for a couple of months, followed by devastating numbers released from Italy, and eventually cases were popping up in the United States. As the numbers grew, grocery stores emptied and things began to shut down. First it was non-essential businesses like clothing stores. Then it was the schools, followed by parks, restaurant dining, and any social gathering over a group size of 10 people. Everyone was encouraged to stay home and social distance themselves from others as much as possible. Having to cross the street when you see a neighbor coming to adhere to a 6 foot distance requirement is a strange experience. It has been a weird time.
I'll never forget when it was just barely beginning and I stopped into Walmart for my typical weekly grocery shop. Nic was working from home that day because Liam had Kindergarten orientation and we all wanted to go as a family that afternoon. I left Lyla with him so I could drop Liam off at preschool in the morning and pick up what we needed at the grocery store. My kids had just finished a round of a cold and we were out of Motrin so I stopped at the medicine section first. The kids medicine was completely EMPTY. I thought, no problem, they have another hidden section that maybe not a lot of people know about over by the baby clothing department. I wandered over there passing people with heaping carts and found those shelves empty too. I felt a wave of fear wash over me like, "Did I miss something? Is this the start of some form of apocalypse?" and guilt for not being a little more prepared with one extra bottle hit me too. I carried on with my list but it wasn't a ton of use because I came home from the store that day with black beans, pears, corn, frozen peas and broccoli, oatmeal, flour, etc. crossed off my list but not in the sacks hanging from my arm. The shelves were just empty. I needed that hug I got from Nic when I got back home. It was an eery feeling and made me sad for the mom's who were walking into the store that day with a child who was sick right now and need of that medicine. Or a family with dietary restrictions because of health problems and couldn't find what they needed. It felt like high anxiety those first couple days we came to the realization that this was going to be bigger than we thought.
Since then it has been filled with a lot of beautiful moments too. Like my kids becoming best friends and playing together (something they didn't really do before). They'll go off into our play teepee or Lyla's closet and read books together. They appreciate each other in a way they didn't before when all they have is each other to play with. We've put together every puzzle we own at least 3 times. We've taken "a virtual ride" on several of the popular rides at Disneyland. We've checked in on the animals at the San Diego Zoo through their live web cams. We've taken care of 10 of our very own caterpillars and learned about the incredible process they go through to become beautiful butterflies. We've torn up our yard to make the vision we have for it come to life. We've re-read our library books a hundred times since they aren't due back when they originally were. We've used the middle school's track vaulting pits for sand boxes. We celebrated Easter as the 4 of us and still made it feel special. So many memories and pictures to share.
Nic went back to work today after working from home the last 5 weeks and what I've realized the most is that we were intentional with our time. Funny thing is, circling back to that first day when we took Liam to his Kindergarten orientation, I remember leaving the school feeling a little bit sad that I would be letting go of so much of my time with Liam as he starts Kindergarten in the fall and I feel like I've gained some of that time with him back with no preschool right now. Yes, it has been hard keeping two kids entertained without being able to take them anywhere and has made for long days but it has also taught me we have everything we need right here in our very home. And these memories of where we've been these last 6 weeks all lead to this beautiful time together that we'll never forget.
Hope you are safe, healthy, and happy wherever you are reading this from. I'm thinking of you. XO
