We started our self-isolation exactly six week ago today. At least the kids did, Marc started a week later.
Overall, this has been great for us. I mean, it’s exceptionally stressful and scary, because nobody knows when it’s going to end, and there’s this plague out there, and you don’t know who has it. Everyone is wearing masks, they’re mandated as of May 6, but I’ve been wearing one since we started this thing. It’s slightly terrifying because we don’t know Marc is going back to work, or what school is going to look like in the fall. There are so many questions about the future, and the biggest one looming over everything is the uncertainty around if someone we love or one of us is going to get sick. And if we get sick, will we be one of those that gets really sick? Will someone we love die?
But… when you forget that – it’s actually a lovely time for us. We’re okay with money, between the stimulus and the unemployment, we’re making roughly what we were making before. The kids are all doing some degree of home education. Sam is still in on-line school, albeit on a slightly reduced schedule. Julie is homeschooling – I’m making up assignments and she’s doing a ton of reading. Jessie is happily working all the time, applying to scholarships and studying for AP and SAT tests that may or may not count. There’s no arguing to get ready in the morning, no rushing from place to place. Best of all, Marc is HOME all the time. Going from working 60-70 hours a week to being just here was definitely a big adjustment – but it’s been lovely to have him here.
All the relationships are getting stronger, the kids are spending more time together than they ever have. I’m still working on getting Marc to talk to the kids and the kids to talk to him – they all tend to use me as the go-between. But I keep reinforcing “he/she”s right there – ask him/her” and hope that it’ll start.
There are still a lot of questions. A lot of uncertainty, and on one level, I’m scared to death of the future. But when I push that level aside, and focus just on what’s right in front of me, I’m grateful for this space and time. The year before Jessie goes off to college, when Sam in the beginning of his teen years and Julie’s on the cusp of puberty, having these past six weeks, and probably the next six weeks (maybe??) is an incredibly blessing.
Recent Comments