Top Ten Lessons of Quarantine

2020 seems like it's been never ending. March feels like a million years ago, and yet, I can't reconcile the fact that August and back to (virtual) school is just around the corner. Quarantine has been full of long days, lots of uncertainty, and plenty of life lessons. My top 10 quarantine lessons, in no particular order:

one //

The world can become unfamiliar overnight. Activities that you never gave a second thought to can become suddenly terrifying; a virus is an invisible enemy, and invisible enemies are the trickiest kind.

two //

A world where we rarely left our house or yard is not one I imagined living in, but long hours with nowhere to be has allowed creativity to blossom in our house; both for me and for my children.

three //

We need less than we thought--less activities and outings, less things filling up our calendar, less trips to aimlessly wander the aisles of Target.

four //

Facetime, Zoom and Google Meet aren’t a substitute for real life interactions, but I’m thankful that they exist.

five //

When you strip away all the busyness of life, it helps to make clear what you really value and what actually brings you joy.

six //

Fresh air and a change of scenery can make everything better.

seven //

My kids are even more adaptable than I realized. They have handled the sudden changes in their world with grace and flexibility, and are more understanding than I expected about our new reality.

eight //

I don’t miss the big things as much as I miss the small everyday moments of life “before”--seeing my child’s face light up when they see me in the carpool line, talking with friends after school pick up, meeting a friend for coffee, days by the pool, swim team practice.

nine //

It’s okay to make space for yourself. At the beginning of isolation I mourned the loss of alone time that had been built into my daily schedule, but I was so busy trying to make sure everyone else was okay, I forgot to find space for me. When I finally remembered, I discovered a walk alone, a drive by myself to pick up the Target drive-up order or a night off of bedtime duties can do wonders.

ten //

Just because I haven’t been out of my children’s sight in weeks doesn’t mean they don’t feel the need to be as close to me as possible, constantly touching me and using me as a human jungle gym.