Why I’m writing this: It’s strange, I’m an introvert and I always work from home, but this social distancing has been deeply unsettling. I feel trapped and cut off from the little social connections that make me feel part of a larger whole- commiserating with the coffee shop barista about the weather, smiling at people I pass in the street, chatting with parents at school pick-up. So I decided I would rebirth this old blog of mine and chronicle our life under social distance. I know that some people are struggling with much bigger and harder challenges, like keeping their families fed, or having to risk coronavirus exposure to keep working in essential services. Comparatively, my challenges are much smaller and less urgent. Still, I can only write what I know, and I hope that these entries will bring connection and comfort to those who are also feeling isolated. I imagine us like sailors stranded on different islands, sending messages to each other in bottles. I we...
Family picture, by Clara We made it through the first week of our improvised homeschooling! Lucy has done most of her school work up in her bedroom, and seems to be enjoying having that privacy and independence. Clara does some downstairs with Matt and some with me in bed, since I’ve been resting a lot (still have the head cold). Today I got to help Clara work on a poem, inspired by a poem about having adventures through reading. The scenes she chose are all from books or stories she read this past week. On Monday I wrote a book about my dad and I On Tuesday I climbed on the roof and saw a bird go by On Wednesday I flew on my broom stick, I felt the wind on my face On Thursday I sailed across the sea, I saw a new place On Friday I was almost eaten but then I became a puppy On Saturday my house got smashed by a falling hot tubby How do you think I did all that? Well just look I read all those adventures in just a few books! -Clara Nest I kn...
First day Our first day of homeschooling went pretty great. We followed our schedule, and though there was some complaining, I think overall it helped us all to have a plan to stick to. The girls did the virtual learning assigned by their teachers, we went on a long family walk in the woods, and Matt and I each got the work done that we needed to. We ended the day watching the first half of “School of Rock” together, which we all really loved (who doesn’t love Jack Black??). Bumps There were a few unexpected bumps, as we worked out how we will follow social distancing in the context of family and friend relationships. I didn’t realize how tricky this can be. We live in a townhouse development, and in the afternoon we let our younger daughter play outside with a neighbor’s daughter, with the view that we consider this other family part of our family group. Another neighbor questioned whether this was a good idea, which was well meant, but sent me into a bit of a...
Comments
Post a Comment