No one could have pictured the year going like this.
First, the bushfires which blazed through a significant part of our country. Now, a nation in quarantine, along with the rest of the world, as we try and wait out this insidious virus.
Jobs have been lost, income affected. Anxiety is running high, essential supplies have vanished from shelves, and we have no way of knowing how long this situation will continue.
It has been three weeks now.
Three whole weeks of being at home. Starting with Hudson’s illness and the need to keep him away from school, then, as the restrictions began to come into place, we hunkered down and decided we may as well get used to the new normal.
At first it was a novelty. No more school runs! Let’s just have fun at home! And then the reality set in. Going from hardly checking in with the news at all to voraciously refreshing for updates sideswiped me. I let the anxiety in and it was soul-crushing.
What’s going to happen? What about the people we love who have weakened immune systems? Will there be enough food? How will we manage?
I wept as I watched the Italian doctors usher a film crew through their isolated ward, the haunted eyes of one who spoke of crashing on her couch every night for a few hours of sleep but being awakened every hour with the nightmares. She couldn’t even hear her partner and daughter speak to her anymore. She was living in horror.
And it was coming for us.
Everywhere I looked I could see panic and vitriol. A nation gripped by its base instincts. What are we coming to? I wondered.
But, as the time has gone on, I’ve seen a different side. Having curbed my news consumption to only twice a day, I’m not being overwhelmed by the stats anymore. The stories of helpers have made me choke up with gratitude and I can see the hope breaking through once again.
For us, stuck at home and forced to live at a slower pace, I’m now grateful. ‘We have all the time in the world,’ I’ve been saying, when the kids express disappointment over having to stop an activity. Board games, lying in the sun, puzzles, indoor soccer matches in our garage, baking, trampoline wars, wrestling, drawing lessons, dancing lessons, movies, writing… suddenly time has opened up before us and we have the luxury of spending it together.
It hasn’t been pure joy in slow motion, it is important to point out. We’ve had some dramatic tantrums – including one child who wrote out how much he hated us and pinned a note to his door, then tried to climb over the neighbour’s fence to escape. There have been doors slammed, swear words uttered, bone-deep exhaustion, torn pages, voices raised.
Even so, here are six things I’m loving about quarantine:
1. We Don’t Have to Go Anywhere
It’s strange to have a social calendar with absolutely nothing in it, but there are significant upsides to this. No mad dash to the car and pleading with children to get their clothes on. No hurtling from place to place with hardly any time in between. Shoes are completely optional now, and the freedom is exhilarating!
2. All the Free Courses
Guys, have you got onto this?! So many places have released courses for free as a result of this quarantine. I’ve devoured Brendan Burchard’s Wellness course, Tom Bilyeu’s Mindset 101 and subscribed to a self-publishing one that I haven’t even had a chance to look at yet. Let me know if you come across any others. I get way too excited about this stuff!
3. The Increase in Connection
Somehow not being able to drop in and see family has meant that I’m checking in more. The knowledge that we are all in this together has brought a sense of solidarity in my friendships too and it has been so nice to be able to communicate more and see what is going on in people’s lives. With Skype sessions and messenger check-ins, photo and video sharing and hilarious memes, I’m feeling closer to my circle than ever.
4. The Licence for Treats
Okay, if you are stuck at home for who knows how long, there has to be some upside right? Food is one way to make it seem special, and Dave has been doing the apocalyptic dash to the grocery store recently, so you can imagine we’ve been savouring all the things. Our current favourite – Coffee Chocolate & Roasted Cacao Nib ice-creams from Aldi. Seriously, these are better than Magnums.
5. All the Sleep
I’ve had more naps in the last few days than I can remember and it has been divine. Plus, it isn’t like I won’t have time for whatever needs to get done, so early bedtimes have been on the cards as well. Yes, I’m aware I sound like a total grandma right now. But sleep, oh my goodness, I love sleep so much.
6. Getting Involved in the Kids’ Learning
We’ve only done a few days in our Hughes Homeschool Academy so far (name credit to Eli, who has also created our uniform – black and blue), but it has been a lot of fun! With exceptional platforms out there like Prodigy (for maths), Reading Eggs (for literacy) and the unimaginable wealth of ‘how to’ videos on YouTube, we have been learning how to draw with Christopher Hart, getting our hip hop and ballet moves on and learning heaps of soccer tricks.
I’m almost (don’t quote me on this) tempted to keep homeschooling (most of the children) after the quarantine ends. I’m really going to regret saying that, aren’t I?!
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What are you loving about the change in pace? Or what are you finding hard? It’s okay if this isn’t your happy place right now. I must admit to being an introvert so I can’t imagine how hard it is for the extroverts! But there must be something good, right? Let me know!
