Project 365, Week 12

What a strange week as all things Coronavirus unfolded. Surreal, really. Every morning I woke up thinking, wow...that was a weird dream, only to realize moments later that it was all very real. It was decided over the weekend that the kids would not be returning to school, at least through the end of March. The stock market continued its record-breaking volatility and it felt like a low-grade anxiousness settled over the atmosphere. Things that sounds impossible upon first hearing them are the new normal a couple days later. Shut down school? Nah. Close restaurants? No way. I keep telling my kids they are living history!

March 16

Our town was delayed in getting school online for the kids, so we were winging it this week. Aiden took it upon himself to begin learning Latin (??). They also spent hours learning Geography with Google Earth and virtually spent time at Busch Gardens, standing in (an empty) line at the Cheetah Run. :)

March 17
We woke up to a pretty surprise that lasted only a couple hours.

A few of us neighbors met outside on the street corner, standing six feet apart. It felt ridiculous, slightly illegal and somewhat therapeutic.

March 18
I snuck out of work for a couple hours to visit with some friends. The kids got lots of exercise playing basketball, kickball and riding bikes.

The neighborhood "happy hour" grew. We were very purposeful about moving here and its better than I could have imagined. There was stress, confusion, disbelief and uncertainty as we tried to make sense of what is happening in our world, but there was a measure of comfort and relief as we met together.

March 19
As the week wore on, things at work intensified. The kids were home for hours upon hours alone so for a couple hours this evening, we brought them to the office. What a gift to live two minutes from work!

March 20
Just a long, crazy day of work. I was gathering documents from many people on the sidewalk outside our building, or even while they stayed in their car. Nathan extended free tax prep to the senior citizens who would have gotten their taxes prepared for free by the now-closed AARP service. I spent several minutes talking with a woman who was crying, overwhelmed by the blessing of it. I guess from the strain of the week, I ended up in tears, too.

By Friday the kids had gotten better about picking up the house and doing some chores throughout the day so I didn't come home to a sink full of dishes. Amanda really did a nice job of even taking on extra projects. Very helpful!

March 21
I stopped by home to get Amanda set up on the computer for the "in-person" soccer referee training that was now on the computer. After several hours and a test, she passed! I was proud of the way she took initiative and followed through on the multi-step process.

Church on the couch with a snuggly blanket...not bad. :)

March 22
I went to the grocery store first thing and it really wasn't terrible. I tried to thank as many employees as I could...they were clearly doing their very best.

Several of our neighbors are nurses, and two of them work in places where supplies are in short supply. We purchased latex gloves and dropped them off in her garage. It felt like a small offering compared to the sacrifice she and so many are making, but I think its important to do something.