Hello from the inside....
Let's talk quarantine!
We're rounding out our first week of covid-quarantine and it's been patchy, at best. And, by patchy I do mean I have questioned my parenting skills on several occasions, have dreamed of sitting by the ocean again, and wondered if 2020 just really needs a hug.
I keep comparing this "covid quarantine" to the beginning of the pandemic when schools closed and everyone stayed home as much as possible because looking back, I feel like that was easier. For one, we weren't infected with covid. So, there's always that! But, I think what I miss most is the comfort of the new "normal". Things got weird and hard back in March and then we settled into a new "normal" and now even that small bit of comfort has been shaken back up for us again.
Then again, we can never truly judge something when in the thick of it. Hindsight is aptly named, yeah?
So, quarantine is going. M no longer has any symptoms of covid except for the lack of taste and smell. I'm showing symptoms that could either be a sinuses or covid. But, I'm presuming positive since I have been exposed and doing the quarantine thing for the required time.
Here's a few thoughts on quarantine...
- Delivery and contactless drive-up is where it's at. Being able to get some much-needed supplies, dinner delivered, and a new set of Legos for the kids is like a small dose of magic in our days.
- I'm tired. Not feeling 100% while solo-parenting is exhausting. Because M has tested positive, we are making him stay quarantined in our bedroom away from the rest of us even though he'd much rather be out here in the thick of things with us.
- Quarantine is lonely. Even for us introverts who crave space and quiet. Sometimes we all need a walk down a gorgeous street and the comfort of our normal routine.
- I'm incredibly grateful for our cozy house and our backyard. I can't imagine doing quarantine anywhere else.
- Puzzles and card games and The Great British Baking Show is a good chunk of our entertainment and that makes us sound pretty old and boring, doesn't it?
- It's okay to not do ALL the things right now. Though, I did do some major decluttering in our guest room last week and it feels so freeing to have that checked off my to-do list which balances out the major lack of anything that I've done this week.
- Looking back at old photos and memories is both joy-bringing and saddening!?
- Be kind. To yourself. To your family. To your mental state. To your delivery drivers.
- It's not possible to watch Hamilton too many times. It's also not possible to have too many dance parties in the kitchen to the soundtrack either.
- Read a good book. Books fill your soul with hope and magic and they take you places. Like tiny islands with colorful cottages and crashing waves and salty air.
- This too shall pass.
P.S. The kids are showing no symptoms! Mental health is a real thing and we're struggling with that. It's a lot for their little minds to deal with and comprehend. But, it's okay and we're okay and this too shall pass.
