It’s getting real, Day Six
I am creating an online journal during the Coronavirus social distancing so I can look back and remember how my thoughts and actions might change during this time. This is Day Six.
Thursday, March 19
I keep a little log on my phone at the end of each day of the number of coronavirus cases in Illinois. I see the numbers in the news everyday, but I quickly forget how the new number compares to the day before.
This was the first day that the numbers started jumping significantly. We’ve gone from 29 cases back on March 12, to 44, then 64, then 93 and 105. Yesterday, the number was 161, but it jumped to 290 today. It was the first day that the number of new cases was almost as high as the total number of cases the day before.
It’s been surreal to know that we are literally living out the type of pandemic we’ve seen in fictional movies. And yet, our actual life is so peaceful and uneventful. In fact, I’m starting to enjoy this way of living so much that I’m worried about how I’ll adjust once we go back to “normal.”
**
The way people are coping is already starting to change how we interact as a society. It’s been fun to see how many people are posting videos online of them singing or leading an art project or inviting people into conversation. People are actually engaging in these posts in a way I haven’t seen before.
We were definitely starting to feel more stir crazy than usual today because it rained all day. At first, we were allowing our kids to interact with a few very close friends outside of our family. We are starting to rethink that as the virus spreads, so no one came into our home today. We also usually meet up with our neighbors to let our dogs play. But with the rain, we couldn’t even do that today.
Even Cooper’s puppy training class got cancelled! But if anyone is loving our social distancing, it is definitely our dog. He has been so happy the past week with all of the extra love and attention he gets when he’s not left home alone all day.
**
I made a list of things that I can do during this time of spending so many hours at home. I want to take advantage of this time to exercise more, clean the closets in my home and work on creative projects. It’s amazing how quickly my mind starts to feel numb and I lose motivation without a schedule of where I need to be.
This evening after dinner I asked if anyone wanted to join me in taking Cooper for a walk. Usually, the older kids are too busy or would rather do something else. Tonight, four of us all put on our rain jackets and headed out together. My husband had taken our other daughter on a three-hour driving lesson because… why not?
As I watched my three other kids goofing around, walking down the street with our puppy, I felt so overwhelmingly blessed. I’m thankful that if something like this had to happen, that it happened at this stage of my life. As your kids get older, you start to miss them. They start to grow into their own lives, and it’s hard to spend time together as a family.
We are at a great stage where they are all independent, but we are all still home together under one roof. I recognize that this isolation must be so much more difficult for people who live alone or don’t have kids at home. My heart hurts for people who are lonely during this time.
When I read the news, I’m aware that we are living in a very serious and scary time. And yet, in my personal life, it feels like I’ve been given the chance to push a reset button.
I’m hoping we can find some healthier rhythms for how we live and think about our lives so that when this all ends, our “normal” won’t be quite as rushed and crazy as it was before.
**
Sidenote: We decided to watch a movie other than Frozen 2 tonight. We were halfway through and agreed that we had to go back INTO THE UNKNOWN! Our day just wasn’t complete without the humor of Olaf and the Frozen sing-alongs.
***
Read my past posts:
What does this mean for us?: Day One
Sunday morning painting party: Day Two
This isn’t difficult: Day Three
Working and learning at home: Day Five