Caveat: I am extremely privileged to have savings and a cushion while I am unable to work. While I am stressed about not being at my job, I recognize that many of my friends and family are going to be struggling mightily during this time, as they cannot work. This post is in no way meant to mitigate those struggles. I am merely sharing how I am trying to cope with the overwhelming fear of leukemia, an overwhelmed medical system, and people becoming ill. If there is anything I can do from the safety of my home to offer help in this, please do not hesitate to ask me.
My soul is a homebody. I am the introverted extrovert of great myth and legend. I love my friends and family, but I also love my home, my furniture, my books and puzzles and crosswords. I don’t like hiking. For me, it’s walking nowhere specific (though I do love a stunning vista). Camping is fun only if there’s water involved. I do have a yen to travel to new places, but really, the things I love most involve the indoors. Food, restaurants, museums, books, jigsaw and crossword puzzles.
So, this isolation hasn’t been too hard yet. We’ve been pretty isolated since Hazel’s neutrophils bottomed out anyway. And I’m ok with it. Of course, two weeks has nothing on months, and I fear that is what’s to come.
Today, the sun is shining and the temperature is a balmy 70 degrees. It’s the first day of spring.
Ideas to keep yourself sane if you’re isolated at home:
FaceTime or Facebook Live messenger your friends and family. Apply wine and/or coffee as appropriate. Remember, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. Staying in visual contact with loved ones is helping me cope. Go outside whenever you can and absorb some Vitamin D (says Rachel, my friend). The outdoors isn’t closed (yet). I’m bad at doing this, so today, I’m blogging from my backyard.
Spend fun time with your kids. I am actually loving home schooling so far, because there are so many more options than I was aware of prior to this. We’re not doing it with a totally traditional approach (reading, writing, arithmetic). Instead we’re adding in some art and science and history and other fun stuff. Tons of museums and zoos are offering virtual tours and online cameras. Mo Willems (of Piggy and Elephant and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus books) is doing online doodling for kids. Evaline is going to start her violin lessons online at Outschool, since we had to cancel in person for the foreseeable future. Hazel is taken a STEM Fairy Tale class.
Play in your garden. Clean out your landscaping. Watch your chickens take a dirt bath (or any wildlife you have). Or just sit in a chair and read or reflect.
Today, I am grateful that we have the ability to completely isolate ourselves. Jim works from home, and I am taking a hiatus from my job to protect Hazel. So, we hunker down here in hopes that others who can will do the same. I am grateful that it is not winter, and we can be outside together.
Social distance. It’s hard, but we can do it. It’s giving our medical system the time it needs to adapt and ramp up our production of medical equipment. It’s giving the scientists time to study the disease, research a treatment and a vaccine. Time is crucial.
Thoughts from the end of the world. 