“Freedom without limits is just a word”. – Terry Pratchett
That quote takes on a whole new meaning when you find yourself unemployed indefinitely. My husband can do his job from home so he is still working and has a relatively normal routine, apart from the (welcome) loss of a commute. It’s hard for us to be too excited only because past experience has taught us jobs you can do from home can be easily be shipped overseas.
As soon as we learned schools would close, one son took the initiative to plan a schedule. Both followed it with minimal encouragement from me. Fortunately they’re passionate about learning and desperate for some semblance of normalcy. As much as children rebel against structure, they do want and need it (and what else would they have to rebel against without it?)
Near the end of the first week, we received packets from school. I made some minor tweaks to the schedule. If you’re a parent in need of supplemental materials, Scholastic has free daily resources. ABCYa and PBS Kids have educational games and activities. My sons have a membership to an educational roleplaying game, Prodigy, through school.
Our karate school has been hard at work setting up an online curriculum.
The Down Dog apps are free in their entirety through May 1st so far (July for teachers and students with .edu accounts) but even the free version is adequate for exercise. I use HIIT for upper body workouts (though it can be used for whole body as well) and Barre for lower body workouts (in my experience, barre classes rival “leg day”), as well as their Yoga app.
The Down Dog apps are free in their entirety through May 1st so far (July for teachers and students with .edu accounts) but even the free version is adequate for exercise. I use HIIT for upper body workouts (though it can be used for whole body as well) and Barre for lower body workouts (in my experience, barre classes rival “leg day”), as well as their Yoga app.
All set, right?
Wrong.
Not a lot of work or play filled the first week as I tried to make sense of our new normal. I somewhat repurposed my Habitica app to create a clear picture of what days would look like instead of everything smooshing together in my brain, leaving me overwhelmed. I hate routine, but I need it. Making plans and sticking to them are my version of self care.
I’m like a great white; if I don’t keep swimming, I’ll drown.
We’re trying to make the best of things, and we know others have it worst. The most important thing is protecting others, including doctors and nurses. I’m disheartened retail and restaurant employees are being mistreated or poorly compensated. Times like this should remind us not to take for granted the services others provide, be they a cashier, cook, doctor, driver, nurse, or server. Even creators of art, literature, music, film, and television whose work is keeping us sane and entertained during these interesting times demonstrate their importance.
We’re trying to make the best of things, and we know others have it worst. The most important thing is protecting others, including doctors and nurses. I’m disheartened retail and restaurant employees are being mistreated or poorly compensated. Times like this should remind us not to take for granted the services others provide, be they a cashier, cook, doctor, driver, nurse, or server. Even creators of art, literature, music, film, and television whose work is keeping us sane and entertained during these interesting times demonstrate their importance.
I do think it’s okay to feel disappointed as long as we don’t misplace our frustrations. When I had my cancer scare in February, I mostly thought about everything I’d miss out on. That is why we’re doing this, after all. So others don’t have to miss out, either. I can fear for the sick, worry for the working, and still have empathy left over for the graduating senior or the birthday child. Compassion is not a nonrenewable resource.
I feel torn between gratitude for the internet keeping us connected and resentment of our increased reliance on it. Mostly I’m hard at work on personal projects. I have exciting news to share next month, but perhaps not as exciting as originally planned. We shall see.