What can I say that hasn’t already been said? As with virtually everybody who’s not a hoarder, we are finding it difficult to restock some supplies due to the empty shelves in our stores, despairing of the fact that we can’t gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing on Sunday, and trying to cope with family members’ being around one another 24/7.
HOWEVER (he said with index pointing heavenward), there are some silver linings to this coronavirus cloud. For one, daughter Karlyn’s school instituted online classes on Monday, March 30. She has three classes a day, four days a week, and one counseling session every other Tuesday. That provides something constructive for her to do (away from watching “The Office” reruns on her cell phone) and gives a break to Evelyn and me.
Being cooped up together has also moved us to find things to do as a family. For the most part, we’re finding an hour or more to play board games after suppertime, alternating the evenings as to who gets to select the game. With only one exception we have played “Clue” on the nights when Karlyn gets to choose (she wanted to play “Apples to Apples” on March 30 for a change). Evelyn and I like “Yahtzee” and “Farkle,” those kinds of games. We might play “Scrabble” with Karlyn from time to time, but it’s kind of hard to play word games with a kid who spells phonetically (“No, Honey, it’s ‘purple,’ not ‘perpul’.”)
We do get outside on occasion, but in this part of the country, the weather of late has been dreary. Damp and dreary. Chilly, foggy, rainy, damp, and dreary. In other words, not the most inviting weather to go traipsing around the neighborhood unless we wear our “waders.” On the nicer days, I’ve been doing lawn work and weeding our flower gardens. When she’s feeling up to it, Evelyn joins me for a walk around the block (sometimes with her service dog, Kianna, in tow).
Only one member of the family, who shall remain nameless, claims to be bored. The other two members (one of whom is I) are finding plenty to do to use the time productively during this period of forced, involuntary confinement.
They’re calling it a “new normal.” I’m hoping for everyone’s sake (I’m speaking internationally now) that it’s also a temporary “new normal.” Regardless of how this all pans out, we should keep our eyes and ears open to new possibilities during the journey. God never wastes time, and neither should we. There is always the chance that we can learn some new lessons as we adjust to our unusual circumstances for now, lessons that could actually prove useful once this is all over.