A dear colleague nailed it this afternoon. “We all just seem disoriented.”
She was right. I wasn’t sad or mad or glad like some Dr. Seuss book. All my tasks were shuffled and tossed in the air. As they fluttered to the floor, I wasn’t sure which of the 52 to pick up first.
I looked at them all and didn’t jump into anything fast.
I sat there hoping that our daily schedule would hold—not precisely to the exact half hour but to the general flow. I didn’t want them to fight too much or get bored too early.
Though I had tinges of worry about both interruptions and neglect, it all pretty much worked out fine.
To warm up, I dialed into an optional work call just to hear familiar voices and discuss something other than the virus. It helped with the next half-dozen.
The girls loved getting a clever research and writing prompt on St. Patrick from Grandma. They diligently wrote their notes and then reflexively started drafting PowerPoint presentations before their FaceTime review. I couldn’t have been prouder.
We all sat down for lunch together and then did a quick art project.
During dinner prep, Marin dissected a dragon fruit- the first up on new foods to try this week. As the produce fades, we’ll bravely make our way through to the back of the pantry.
At dinner, we did a round-robin about what worked and what didn’t. They liked the schedule but wanted more free time. Got it. We can totally do that.
Brian and I had worked out “who’s on first” for the day based on our scheduled work calls. It became immediately clear that the kids needed to know whose name to yell when. Going straight to the top every time isn’t working. They need to respect the chain of command.
At some point this afternoon, I played this little perspective-setting game with myself I like to call “At least the dog doesn’t have diarrhea.” Well…
Tomorrow will be a easier- or at least different.
As we shut down for the night, I’m feeling thankful for all the people who are still out there making our world turn.
Here are a couple shots from the day.
