If you look at any social media sites, news, radio, or even talk to friends and family the only thing you are hearing about is COVID-19. In my lifetime, I have never experienced anything like this. I can say with 100% certainty that I was naïve, not prepared, and have been unwilling to accept that this could change our “normal” way of life.
About a month ago I started hearing about COVID-19. At that time it seemed far fetched that Texas would be impacted. However, within a couple of weeks we heard the order come down to Stay in Shelter. Stay in Shelter? What did this mean exactly?
I am an extrovert and this is going to be very challenging. We were hearing different counties, cities, and states doling out a million different orders about how we are going to handle this pandemic. There were changes daily. At first, we were told we “shouldn’t” be in social gatherings of more than 10, we should stay home if possible, and if we got out then we needed to stay atleast 6 feet apart from each other. Then a few days later we were told we “can’t” be in social gatherings of more than 10, and we need to stay home unless we have an essential job. Now we were just told we will be fined if we leave our home unless we are going to the grocery store, doctor, gas station, or pharmacy. This is crazy! The virus was spreading faster than anticipated because we all had the mentality that “This couldn’t effect me.”
I’ll admit I was naive by this whole situation. I truly did not see how we could be impacted let alone so quickly. I started to fear losing our jobs, not being able to pay for bills or food, and how this would impact us as a family being stuck with each other day in and day out. Then the reality really hit when we ran out of toilet paper. People were buying it in bulk weeks ago and I laughed at them. I thought why in the world would they need to buy so much toilet paper? This virus is affecting our respiratory system not our butts! Now I’m out of toilet paper and if I order online it will take about 4 weeks to get it. I’ve tried to order from the grocery stores but they are out as well. I believe people were buying in bulk so they wouldn’t have to leave the house. I realized quickly that our way of life was changing…and for how long was unknown.
Before COVID-19 we had a pretty firm routine as a family. My husband and I got up every morning and left for work about 7. The kids would get up and get ready for school about 8. Every once in a while we tried to eat together. It really depended on if I had to work late or if we had sports or events that night. The weekends were spent with tons of kids coming and going, eating us out of house and home, and just hanging out. Softball was a big part of our lives as well because we were in season. So every Tuesday and Friday nights we were at games. We loved tailgating with friends before the game, and sometimes even going out after the game. Softball season was not only fun with friends, but I loved watching my girl play.
Right before COVID-19 hit we spent the weekend in Wiley at a softball tournament. It was my birthday weekend. The night before my birthday several parents gathered in one of the hotel rooms to have a few drinks. I remember laughing until my stomach hurt. I was also video’d singing “Boys in the Hood” and I would say I was pretty fly for a white girl! The next morning my mom and I were running a little late to the game, but as I walked up to the bleachers all of the fans started singing happy birthday to me! I was both a little embarrassed and overwhelmed with happiness of how thoughtful it was of them to think of me. Then my daughter got up to bat. She hit a dinger over the center field fence! It was a bomb! She came off the field holding her fingers in the shape of a heart and said, “That’s for you mom!” After the game, the entire team came to the fence line and sang me happy birthday again! Then when we finally got back home after a long weekend Dawson had decorated the house for my birthday! I felt beyond blessed, and wouldn’t have chosen to spend my birthday any other way. Who would have thought we would be in quarantine only a couple of weeks later…
The announcement came that school was being delayed, and then a week later we found out it was being shut down until further notice. This would mean no more softball, no prom, and no graduation. The devastation and hurt I saw in Laney’s eyes was difficult to bear as a parent. I can’t make this go away, and I can’t take away her hurt. This is her senior year. Not only should this be the most memorable year, but she has waited for this moment for 12 years! She has been looking forward to picking out the perfect prom dress, spending the day getting ready like a princess, so she could dance the night away with her friends and boyfriend. More importantly, though, she has been looking forward to the day she could walk across the stage and say, “I did it!” She worked hard to survived these highschool years, she is stronger now, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds! Future? What does our future look like now?
Our future is online learning, ordering groceries online, ordering food online, no social gatherings or interaction, no more parties, no more going to dinner, no more fresh buttered popcorn at the movie theaters, no more getting wild at concerts, and no more watching professional sports. Our future is changing, and I’m not sure any of us are ready to change with it! We have complied with the orders of staying home, and so far we haven’t killed each other. As a matter of fact, I’ve been pretty surprised at how well we have been handling this all.
I believe we had the choice to be sad, to feel the stress of the unknown, and to fight with each other from going stir crazy. However, instead we chose to make the best out of a bad situation. We have spent time cooking meals together, and Laney has learned how to make many of our family recipes as well as making new ones together. Now we eat together all the time. We play games….lots of games together. We found a nest of birds, and each day we would go look at them to see how much they have grown and changed. We have watched movies together. We have worked together to keep the house clean, and we have worked together on renovating the house. I have loved seeing Dawson learning how to cut bead board, trim, and using a nail gun. Seeing him working so closely with his dad has been a beautiful site. We have laughed, we have sang, and we have danced together. There were a few times we had to separate because the confinement would start to get to us, however, I feel we have come together as a family. We are learning more about each other every day, and through this I know we will become stronger as a family.
I am a control freak, and have learned over the past couple of years how little control I truly have over everything. This is proof. My world changed in an instant, and there was nothing I could do about it. I pray every day for God to protect the people that are on the front lines helping those infected by the virus, and I pray over those impacted by the virus both in health and financially. I also pray that if and when this is over, that my family will stay as close as they are today, and that we realize the beauty we found in the simple things in life such as cooking together. If I’ve learned anything through this it’s that sometimes going back to the basics is a good thing, to enjoy what you have instead of always wanting more, and that it’s OK to not fill every waking moment with something to do. COVID-19 sucks! However, through losing everything we have not only found the beauty in the small things but we have also found each other again.