Although it’s only been two weeks since the “Shelter at Home” order has put in place, in many ways it seems like we’ve been at it for much, much longer.

While looking at my photos for this blog, I scrolled up until I reached some pictures that were taken pre-coronavirus. There the twins were, wrestling with their friends on the school lawn. I scrolled through picture after picture of us eating out. Or the kids rolling around in the foam pits at the trampoline park.

Everything that looked normal a few weeks ago now fills me with the anxiety of someone with severe OCD. Those foam pits are a cesspool for germs! Those twins wrestling on the lawn with their friends are going to get everyone sick! Look how close the waiter is standing to our table. Definitely less than six feet!

And it’s not just the germ phobia, when your entire world grinds to a stop, you start to rethink everything in your life.

Like, why did I think I was so clever to follow a JIT (just in time) management strategy to my grocery shopping? Before Covid-19, I prided myself on keeping low inventory and visiting the grocery store every two days. I reasoned this kept our costs down. But what about the cost of my time? I could have saved three extra hours a week with bigger, more thoughtful shopping trips. Nowadays I try to make it five or six days. Sometimes it means that the family is eating two or three different meals on a single evening, but surprisingly it does not equal more waste.

There are some perks to being stuck at home. I am surprisingly happy to be able to wear the same pajamas for days, only to shower and change them for new pajamas. And I don’t miss all the school drop off and pick ups, as well as shuffling the kids around in the car to after school activities.

I even don’t mind taking over the position of full time teacher. No, I don’t want to do it for the next 10 years of my life, but it is kind of nice to see what the kids are up to and to have some technology free time with them. These school sessions help me learn more about their strengths and weaknesses as well as give us some time to bond.

In fact, the isolation period has actually made me more social, not less. I spend much more times with my kids and husband, but I also spend more time with my friends. Everyone is reaching out from across the globe to check in with each other, to marvel at these dystopian times, to trade stories and tips with each other. My high school girlfriends and I have signed onto a new app called, “Houseparty”. Many nights I meet up with them for a glass of wine and a good chat.

Truth be told, the only thing I miss since we got quarantined is hunger. Lack of exercise and unlimited access to a fully stocked fridge are a dangerous combination.

Still I realize how lucky we are. How my husband still has a job, and unlike some of our restaurant and retail friends, our lives have not been jolted to a stop with no clear view of the future. And that so far, we are healthy, not just free of Covid-19, but also not in the high risk age group and without any secondary medical conditions.

Wishing everyone who reads this hope and health in these uncertain times. And look forward to seeing you IN PERSON someday soon….

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