We’re living through a time of life I could never have imagined, so I’m keeping a diary of what it’s like to limit activities and errands. It probably won’t be compelling, but I think someday I’m going to want a record of what these days were like. I’m sharing it with you in case you need solidarity in this time. Feel free to leave comments about what your social distancing days are like. We’re all trying to figure this out together.
On Friday afternoon, we learned we’d be out of school, and I would be out of work, for at least two weeks. All plans I had to keep calm and not lose my mind over the COVID-19 pandemic fled. I stress ate my feelings and started a new show on Prime and generally worried about what life was going to be like in the coming days.
Saturday was the first day of our new temporary way of life. Here’s what it looked like.
Day 1: When I woke up, I learned that the library was closed for the next two weeks. That’s a normal Saturday errand for us, and while we do not lack for books to read, it caused some sadness. I thought about the people who use the library as a refuge from the weather during the day, for whom the library is a place to use the bathroom without needing to make a purchase. At the same time, I was grateful that we had some books checked out from the library and access to online books and again, a house full of books. (Need books? I’ve got you covered.)
I made smoothies for the kids for breakfast. Usually, I am not terribly engaged in breakfast making because morning is not always my best time. But I knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere, or far, for the day, so we took our time on things we might otherwise rush through. I made blueberry pancakes for myself, according to the meal plan I’m following right now. We eased into the morning because I wanted Saturday to still feel like Saturday as much as possible.
After breakfast, I changed into my workout clothes and completed my strength training for the day. While I worked out, I asked the kids to make a list of the chores they could accomplish this weekend. This has been a practice for several weekends now because I can’t keep up with all the housework while working a part-time job and maintaining any kind of sanity. When they had finished their lists, they went outside to play.
Then, we started talking about a schedule for these next two weeks because without a schedule, I don’t thrive personally, and I know my kids would watch YouTube for hours on end. The kids and I sat in the living room, each with a device in our hands and shared Google docs on our screens. I learned my son, who is 10, has a favorite font (me, too, kid; we are SO related). His teacher had shared a suggested schedule, which we used as a template. I emphasized that it’s a flexible schedule because we are not rigid people. But I want them to know their options besides watching screens all the time. It didn’t take us long to hash out a workable schedule.
I showered. They cleaned the bathroom, started some laundry and washed a few dishes. I’m wondering if this enthusiasm for cleaning will last throughout this distancing time, but for now, it’s working a little.
After lunch, they asked if we could go to the park for our second active time of the day. They rode bikes and I walked. We were outside for a full hour. The playground was busy, but we bypassed it, in part because my kids are too big for that particular playground and because touching playground equipment is not part of the distancing plan. It felt good to be outside, seeing the signs of spring emerging and watching the ducks, geese and swans go about their business.
We took some rest time when we got back. I ate a snack and watched an episode of Jamestown, the Prime show I started on Friday night. The eight episodes are only streaming until March 31. Perfect timing. After a bit of screen time, the kids started playing with toys. Barbies, specifically. Both of them. Our son was “Ken” and he was cooking for all the girls, which is a social order I can get behind. I worked on the jigsaw puzzle that’s been puzzling me for more than a week.
Our daughter celebrated a birthday this week, and we had promised to take her and a friend out to dinner, so after Phil got home from work, we all got ready for that outing. We went to a local Italian restaurant, not far from our house, and it wasn’t busy when we got there. They gave us a booth that was sort of in a separate room, and we were able to spread out a bit. We ordered more food than we could possibly eat in one sitting, probably in response to stress and myriad choices. For a little while, things felt normal, although every person who entered the restaurant grabbed a squirt of hand sanitizer at the door. I ate what was probably the best cannoli of my life for dessert and even though my teeth felt like they were coated with sugar, I regretted nothing.
We ended the night watching the latest episode of LegoMasters and trying to calm down from all the excitement and disruption of the day. I read an article about social distancing and wondered if we’d done wrong things by going out to eat and having a friend of our daughter spend time with us.
I slept fitfully and woke up tired and anxious.
Day 2: Our church did not cancel service, and I had agreed to play guitar for worship team. I didn’t want to stay for the whole service anyway and as we talked about it as a family, the rest of the crew decided to stay home. I was an emotional mess at church, the feelings and anxieties and emotions all boiling up and over. I cried numerous times before church even started. I used to be embarrassed about crying in public or in front of people but I’ve learned that when I’m able to let my tears flow, it means I feel safe in that place or with those people.
I had serious misgivings about being at church at all, and it was not a sparse crowd, though there were some noticeable absences among the over-65 set. But there was hugging and a group prayer at the altar, neither of which I participated in. I walked around with my hands stuffed in my jeans pockets and stuck pretty closely to the corner of the back pew where I’d set my stuff. This is typical introvert behavior from me at church anyway but today it just felt more pronounced.
I left church as quickly as I could after the service was over. At home, the kids had watched some TV, started some laundry and played outside. Sundays are usually for sports watching, so the entertainment on screen has been a challenge.
We ate leftovers from the Italian restaurant for lunch, and I worked on the puzzle while waiting for my food to digest so I could go for a run. My run was pleasant but still a little bit stressful because of trying to avoid people. We did a video call with my parents. I spent a lot of time on the jigsaw puzzle and scrolling social media for information.
I inventoried our food in the chest freezer, pantry and fridge so Phil could go to the store and not panic buy anything we already have enough of. We have plenty of food to get us through, and we’ll need to use our skills of creative cooking to make some meals, but we can do this. We’ve done it plenty of times when totally broke. I ordered coffee online from my favorite local coffee roaster so I can have my supply restocked later in the week. I’ve never been more glad to have given up caffeine, though. If I run out of coffee, I won’t be in withdrawal.
Phil went to Aldi. I asked him to text me pictures of anything unusual. The journalist in me wants to see and observe everything about this time. There was no bread. A sign was posted limiting the purchase of canned goods. No toilet paper or other paper goods. The cured meat cooler was nearly empty except for a few hot dogs and scrapple (that’s a PA Dutch thing and I don’t care for it). He came home with everything on our list with some variations from what we normally buy: whole milk because that’s all there was, and fancy pastas as well as soybean pasta because all the boxed pastas were gone.
Monday will be a big change for us, schedule wise. The kids are starting to break down a little bit from all the togetherness. Or maybe it’s just tiredness. The novelty might be wearing off. I’m hoping our schedule for the week will hold us okay. But I’m already thinking through what our options might be for changing it up.
What a wild time to be alive.
