Jack wants to know if it's safe to come out of the box. Sorry Jack, NO ONE knows the correct answer to that!
Last night, I had a dream that I ran into someone, and they told me I looked like I had lost a lot of weight. I mean, I definitely haven't, but I didn't realize how much I needed to hear something like that. Hell, even if I did lose a significant amount of weight, my current quarantine crew probably wouldn't really be able to see it past the three-day-old leggings and oversize t-shirts covered in tortilla chip crumbs.
Okay, so what's the longest you have gone without washing your hair? Wait...don't answer that! Everyone's answer is usually their own, personal acceptable length of time and any different answer leaves them open to judge or be judged and THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ANYMORE JUDGEMENT IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. We are all gross, so we need to accept this about ourselves and those around us, even if their version of gross differs from ours. We should be taking our cues from the southern states when it comes to our crazy; don't hide it, put it on the front porch and give it a cocktail.
Thanks to social media and all the day drinking occurring all over the world, people have gotten more and more comfortable letting their hygiene-lacking freak flags fly...and I couldn't be more entertained. In case you haven't noticed, the jokes about homeschooling have started to wane. I think it's because the concept of being responsible for overseeing our children't education stopped being funny about two weeks ago. Many school districts decided, weeks ago even, that the rest of this school year would be carried out via distance learning. Other districts are holding onto hope that somehow the last week or two of traditional school will somehow be salvageable. I honestly cannot disagree with either viewpoint. If we have learned anything about how the world is working right now, we have to realize their are no right answers. This whole pandemic is one big grey area of unknown, damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situations. I don't envy the people who actually have to make these decisions. People are going to get screwed no matter how we go about this. This almost seems like the worst kind of zero-sum game. Someone almost always loses in order to benefit someone else.
And these people I live with? Why are they all still here? Sure, David gets up and goes to work five days a week, like always. In fact, his hours are more like his hours during the holidays, only without all the festivities and catchy music. That almost makes it harder to share space with him, though. He's out, working is ass off, while we are all at home. We really don't appear to be pulling our weight in the world right now, but how can we? We mostly just float around the house, dabbling in one distraction after another. Our brains have realized that we have nothing to look forward to, so accomplishing anything of significance feels impossible. Can we even consider any of this procrastination when there are literally no deadlines? All we really know we have is right in front of us right now. I'm trying to learn how to live in the moment better, by watching our dogs. No one lives in the moment like Leo! He has fun on walks, but it's still an ordeal to walk him. He begins the walk by pulling, trying to go as quickly as possible and smell as many icky things as possible. When he gets tired, he will just stop and fall over in the nearest patch of weeds. He lives his best life in every moment, no matter what lies ahead, or how far away from home we might be.
Leo and 17YO take a much needed break during an afternoon stroll. Nobody lives in the moment quite like Leo!
It amazes me how much I still have to learn about these people with whom I share a home. For example, did you know that 14YO likes to repetitively tap random objects when she's near me? I mean, I know the kid is known for her never ending energy, but I have started to get really angry (triggered, if you will) when she does the tapping. 17YO either sleeps all day, works on schoolwork, or follows me around, starting me as if there is some need of hers that I am not meeting adequately. (It's usually because she wants Taco Bell, but not always.) I'm a little worried that some of our family stories might be used as inspiration for a future episode of Criminal Minds, or maybe Snapped! I've also learned a few things about myself during this misadventure. I have learned that hearing someone eat cereal nearby can trigger both rage and nausea, simultaneously. These people go through a lot of milk and cereal. I used to view it as YAY! If they eat cereal, I don't have to cook! Now, I would rather cook a large meal than sit and endure the chomping and slurping on what feels like an endless loop.
This afternoon, as 14YO lounged in the pool, she told me how bittersweet this time at home was. She misses her friends and softball terribly, but she was excited to say this is the first time in years that her shoulders are the same color as the rest of her arms. She truly does usually spend most of her spring and summer in a softball uniform! Most of the time, she's pretty good at finding silver linings and having a good time no matter where she is.
This afternoon, as 14YO lounged in the pool, she told me how bittersweet this time at home was. She misses her friends and softball terribly, but she was excited to say this is the first time in years that her shoulders are the same color as the rest of her arms. She truly does usually spend most of her spring and summer in a softball uniform! Most of the time, she's pretty good at finding silver linings and having a good time no matter where she is.
Hmm...maybe Leo is rubbing off on some of us after all!
In the meantime, I alternate between seeing all this time at home as a gift, and pacing various rooms like a caged animal. Is there a way we are supposed to feel about all this? I am worried about the people who are especially at risk if they catch this virus. I'm worried about the economy, especially small business that are stuck in terrible circumstances where they are not producing income, but the bills to keep their businesses afloat are still piling up. I'm worried about the people who don't take any of this seriously and continue to live their best social lives, putting many others at risk. I'm worried about the mental health of those who need support and are spending so much time alone that it's pushing them into a very dark place. I'm worried about teachers and students in the K12 system that have been thrown into a crash course in distance learning, especially those in the elementary level. The teachers and parents of that age group are feeling so much pressure in a whole new world.
Let me tell you, I have been a substitute teacher in a few elementary school classrooms. Like many adults in this world right now, a lot of those children don't stay in their seats. Many of them have the attention span of a goldfish with a brain injury. They are fun, but they are a whole different level of exhausting! Even when schools are opened again, it's being said that they will still try to practice social distancing in the classroom. With the older kids, I can almost see that. I mean, the class sizes would have to be much smaller. Maybe an alternating schedule could be put in place, so that all the students aren't to be on campus at the same time? But, telling any number of second graders not to invade each other's space and to keep their hands to themselves would almost be pointless. This kind of stuff is difficult for most adults to wrap their heads around, much less our children. In the first grade, all three of my daughters learned a song about how getting four hugs a day should be the minimum. Should we rewrite that song?
Six feet awaaaaaay...that's the minimum,
Six feet awaaaaay...no-ot the maximum!
And on that note, stay safe and try to be kind.
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