It almost feels a little surreal to be writing this post as we turn the corner on four weeks at home. The last time I left my house for anything other than food was March 14, 2020 to pick Dane up from the airport and I’m at the point where this does feel like the new normal. I have consistently reminded myself that it is a privilege to be able to stay at home and an even bigger privilege to be able to work from home. For me, that perspective goes a really long way.
My days look similarly to part one of our new normal and for the most part, so do Dane’s. He gets home from work, Lysols the car seats, removes his clothes before coming in the house, puts his clothes immediately in a hot washing machine, then takes a shower. While he showers, I spray his work bag with Lysol and wipe down his phone. Because it’s really hard to say if he’s picked something up at the hospital or clinic, we have only been doing cheek kisses for close to a month now.
I took a pretty hard-and-fast approach to the virus when the initial reports began coming out of Italy. I never wanted to look back on the situation and say “I wish I would have…”, so what might seem like operating with an abundance of caution feels very normal to me. One of the first memorable quotes from Dr. Fauci that I remember hearing is “If it feels like you’re overreacting, you’re probably doing the right thing.”
Bright Spots
I wish I knew why it has taken a global pandemic for me to call my grandma every single day. She’s a freaking riot! Talking with her as become the highlight of my day and we’ve fallen into a rhythm of daily calls, questions and learning about one another. A hilarious anecdote from on of our calls can be found on this Instagram post if anyone needs a smile:
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Dane and I had a date night last weekend where ate a formal meal at our dining room table. It felt especially nice, because I taught him how to make pasta, and we cooked the entire meal together. It also involved making homemade meatballs, which he loved and made into meatball sandwiches with homemade bread later in the week.
Speaking of bread, I made my first sourdough loaves! All the details on that in this post:
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Have you done the virtual safari on Google? Go to the browser and search your favorite animal. Scroll down a little bit down the page and look for ‘View in 3D’ — if that doesn’t show up, Google hasn’t added your animal yet, but check back because they keep adding more! When you choose ‘View in 3D’, you’ll have two options at the top — choose A/R. This will pull up your camera and it’s time to get cozy with wildlife!
Cloudy Moments
My grandma turns 90 tomorrow and she’s going to be sitting by herself instead of being surrounded by her friends and family from across the country. My heart hurts for her, because her sadness is tangible in our talks.
I’ll just come right out and say it — It’s been disheartening and frustrating to see so many people not take social distancing seriously. I’m a firm believer in when you know better, you do better, but at this point shouldn’t we all know better? Staying at home means being with the people who live in your house. Period.
A former teacher of mine is hospitalized as a result of COVID and a former co-worker has passed away. Both of these people and their families have been on my mind and sometimes I just cry, because it all feels so heavy.
I genuinely hope everyone is staying healthy and coping as best as we all know how in this unprecedented time. Know that if your mental health right now is suffering, you can always reach out to me. Be well, everyone.
The New Normal – Part Three
Did Going Through The Missile Scare Make The Coronavirus Panic Easier Or Harder?
The New Normal – Part One