Wow - I cannot believe our lives changed so drastically just six weeks ago. It does kind of feel like forever now. But we have survived so far and have stayed relatively healthy, so that's a good thing. I'm not going to say it hasn't been difficult because it has. I miss my old life for sure.
One of the things that has kept me busy is feeding my family. For some reason at the beginning of 2020, I started keeping track on my calendar all the dinners I cooked (and also kept track of the nights we ate out). I did it because I felt I was repeating a lot of the same dishes over and over and wanted to try making new things and spread out some of the "usual" meals I relied on. Now that I am cooking 95 percent of the time, it's been become quite helpful! It is really crazy I started doing this before the pandemic. I swear sometimes I have a "sixth sense" or something. No joke.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch the other day (so yummy)...
I started thinking the other day about things I took for granted or things I was frustrated with before the pandemic that I'll never take for granted or be frustrated with again...
One of the things I took for granted was going to the grocery store. I felt like I "lived" at the grocery store before this pandemic happened. I felt like I was there all the time and I was tired of it. I would get the groceries home and then forget something and have to run back. No big deal, but it frustrated me. I could walk all over the store, in any direction I wanted, and not think twice about it. I was so sick of it at the time. Now, we have Instacart deliver our groceries. I actually miss going to the grocery store. I don't think I'll ever complain about it again once life eventually goes back to normal.
I took driving Bri to and from school for granted. Getting up early for school wasn't fun. I hated trying to make a left turn out of our neighborhood every morning because of the stupid traffic. And I didn't love sitting in the school car line waiting for Briana to get out of school in the afternoon. It was pretty boring - and it was worse when I felt like I had to pee. I would do anything to take Bri to and from school now. I miss her singing to the radio in the morning as I drove her there. I miss her smiling face and daily updates when she got in the car after school. It really was enjoyable now that I think about it and I miss it so much.
I took going to the doctor for granted too. I had to push off/cancel a couple of annual checkups (including Mei Mei's) because doctors are only seeing emergency/necessary patients at the moment. I'm not sure when I'll be able to eventually reschedule them. I don't love going to the doctor, but I'll be happy to get those appointments rescheduled.
Crowds. I am NOT a fan of crowds. But I will be happy when I can see people gathering in large crowds again. It is really cool being in a large stadium or arena with lots of people cheering at a concert or show. Or being at the opening of an awesome movie with lots of other excited fans. I actually do miss that now.
And want to hear something weird?
Last year, Doug and I had all sorts of things planned out for our year. At the beginning of 2019, we had two big concerts on the calendar. Trips to both New York and Hawaii (places we had never been) were on the books. I had a camp set for Bri in the summer. Early this year - we had nothing planned. No concerts. No trips. No camps. No nothing. The spring break trip we planned for Amelia Island was a last minute thing. We booked it not knowing if we'd actually be able to go. I was just worn out from all the things we did last year and felt like "playing it by ear" this year. And that is not like me at all - I'm a total planner. It's so weird. Maybe I do have that "sixth sense" thing after all.
Ok - I guess I'll do another "my two cents" on what's going on in my neck of the woods (proceed with caution)...
All eyes are on Georgia now as Kemp has opened the state back up without the approval of the national government. Some businesses are opening. It’s still too soon for others - so some businesses are remaining closed and others are continuing with only takeout/curbside service. Doug, Bri and I have been super diligent with physical distancing for six weeks (we are blessed to have this privilege and will never take it for granted) and are choosing to stay home right now. We don’t want to possibly throw all our effort away without more information.
There are a number of Georgians who are happy with Kemp's decision, and there are a few who are even gloating about it a bit. It’s upsetting and kind of hurtful, but it is what it is.
As an admitted anxious person, I often go to Doug to gauge whether or not I am being overly dramatic or overly panicked about a situation. He’s the level-headed, rational, calm person in our relationship (don't tell him I said that - heh). We've talked a lot about this, and in this case, he is on the same page as I am. This makes me feel a little less paranoid and gives me the confidence to keep our family on the “wait and see” course for now.
Our nation was super divided on pretty much everything before this crisis and throwing a worldwide pandemic on top of that division was just fuel for an already enormous fire. I worry that all kinds of relationships might be severely and/or permanently affected by these drastic differences in opinion and how people are going around voicing them. I've already seen some relationships fraying.
On a different note, I had a whole diatribe typed up about “the president and the disinfectant” saga. I thought about it and decided not to post it. No matter what I say or how I feel about it, everyone is going to keep the same exact opinion they had before I put my thoughts out there, so there is no point. The dems are going to continue to vilify Trump while the republicans are going to continue to blindly defend him. All I am going to say is the president needs to stop talking so much about things he doesn’t understand. He’s made too many faux pas up to this point and to me, that does not make for a good leader. He needs to let those who know more do the talking. I honestly hope that he does cut back on the daily briefings. They are doing more harm than good in my opinion.
So this is going to be my mantra from this point forward...
It's not going to be easy to do, but I'm going to really try. As I always say, I am a huge work in progress. My emotions, anxieties and fears still get the best of me. I'm going to try to focus on the things I can control.
If you have made it to the end of this post, I thank you for hanging in there. I'd rather talk here in my personal safe space than somewhere else (like FB) where things can get ugly quickly! Stay safe and healthy everyone!
