Sometimes I say it in a dreamy way. When all this is over we'll be able to go to the supermarket and take our time and not worry about wiping down our carts (ok, that probably won't be for a year at least- we'll still be wiping down carts for months to come!). Or, when all this is over I will invite my friends for tea again.
At other times I am almost apprehensive about getting back to my regular life. When all this is truly over I will be back to a fairly intense job and travelling on the road during the day plus all the household and mothering duties. Do I even remember how to manage it all?
I won't lie to you that when I learned the news in mid-March that school was suspended and daycares were closed, I was a little pumped. Parents like me who had no alternatives could stay home and receive a stipend from the government, That later got transformed into furlough pay when my company closed temporarily.
This down-time would be a little respite from waking at six on some days, making sure my 11-year old was up by 6:50 and operational for when her schoolmate came by at 7:45 for their walk to school. Some days, depending on my schedule, I dropped Alex off at daycare at 7:30. Then I drove around all over the place for my English classes, sometimes having a puny lunch in my car or just an apple, then picked Alex up at 4:45 on a good day or 6:20 on a long day. Going to sleep just to start over again the next day.
When I woke on weekday mornings, I longed immediately for the weekend when I could sleep till 8 (if my husband didn't kindly remind me that I shouldn't sleep all day). In the evenings as I rushed around making dinner and trying to spend a wee bit of quality time with the kids, I thought about Saturday and Sunday around the corner when we could take our time.
I used to joke that a month of Sundays (at least the lazing around the house type) would be dreamy. Be careful what you wish for. Though I am generally doing ok with this lockdown life, there are times it is very limiting and tensions rise at home. The motivation to complete projects and do spring cleaning comes and goes. I think watching two kids all day certainly limits the amount of things I can do!
So when all this is over will we go back to our normal lives as before? Will we be glad to be back at work and more active again? Will we no longer take for granted a quick jaunt to Ikea or a hike in the local park (closed now in France)? Will we buy lots of things to make up for lost time? Or will we be more careful with our purchases? Will we hug our friends or just do air kisses for a while? Will we value our friends and family differently?
The way things look in France, we won't go back to a truly normal schedule till September. Until then I suppose I will take it one day at a time and remember what the actress Terri Garr's mother used to have printed on a pin for her shirt: EGBOK. Everything's gonna be OK. Or as they say in Italy, a country that knows the stakes in this situation: andrà tutto bene.
https://www.thelocal.it/20200312/italian-expression-of-the-day-andr-tutto-bene
I won't lie to you that when I learned the news in mid-March that school was suspended and daycares were closed, I was a little pumped. Parents like me who had no alternatives could stay home and receive a stipend from the government, That later got transformed into furlough pay when my company closed temporarily.
This down-time would be a little respite from waking at six on some days, making sure my 11-year old was up by 6:50 and operational for when her schoolmate came by at 7:45 for their walk to school. Some days, depending on my schedule, I dropped Alex off at daycare at 7:30. Then I drove around all over the place for my English classes, sometimes having a puny lunch in my car or just an apple, then picked Alex up at 4:45 on a good day or 6:20 on a long day. Going to sleep just to start over again the next day.
When I woke on weekday mornings, I longed immediately for the weekend when I could sleep till 8 (if my husband didn't kindly remind me that I shouldn't sleep all day). In the evenings as I rushed around making dinner and trying to spend a wee bit of quality time with the kids, I thought about Saturday and Sunday around the corner when we could take our time.
I used to joke that a month of Sundays (at least the lazing around the house type) would be dreamy. Be careful what you wish for. Though I am generally doing ok with this lockdown life, there are times it is very limiting and tensions rise at home. The motivation to complete projects and do spring cleaning comes and goes. I think watching two kids all day certainly limits the amount of things I can do!
So when all this is over will we go back to our normal lives as before? Will we be glad to be back at work and more active again? Will we no longer take for granted a quick jaunt to Ikea or a hike in the local park (closed now in France)? Will we buy lots of things to make up for lost time? Or will we be more careful with our purchases? Will we hug our friends or just do air kisses for a while? Will we value our friends and family differently?
The way things look in France, we won't go back to a truly normal schedule till September. Until then I suppose I will take it one day at a time and remember what the actress Terri Garr's mother used to have printed on a pin for her shirt: EGBOK. Everything's gonna be OK. Or as they say in Italy, a country that knows the stakes in this situation: andrà tutto bene.
https://www.thelocal.it/20200312/italian-expression-of-the-day-andr-tutto-bene
2 comments:
EGBOK, I needed to hear that. Everyday I remind myself, "This too shall pass". Still not sure what the "new normal" will look like. In California, there are signs of a slow opening of things. Funny how we're supposed to be in a pause, yet life seems busier, at least it is for me. It's the extra planning one needs to do to go grocery shopping or to take a walk. Lots more planning to do the things we used to take for granted.
EGBOK...
Us wishing it was all over already is a conditioning from our minds that have been filled with movie rescues from Marvel or DC Comics characters. The time limit for stress has run out we think. This battle scene has gone on long enough and it's boring us. Can't we reset it all back to pre-virus days? Things WILL be different in many ways--businesses are gone, some forever. People are gone, but we will pick up the pieces and wonder, "What the hell just happened?" We will find an equilibrium--and joy again, and like you said--appreciating the small things more that we took for granted. I never took a moment during my visits to you in France for granted. I cherished each little thing we did together, even if it was just walking around the neighborhood, shopping at LeClerc, or having a snack in Arras. I pray that we will do it again.
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