Normalize This!

It seemed like we were doing so well with the self-isolating, social-distancing thing.  And then last night before bed Ax revealed that at some point the day before he’d emptied his shirt drawer and his sock/miscellany drawer and placed all the contents in a big pile under our big Yogibo bean bag chairs in the corner of the living room.  To make his jumping pile bigger?  Or just to burn off energy?

It’s not the worst thing a kid could do.  But it seemed out of character.  Seemed to smell a tad of desperation for activity.  Or perhaps structure.  

Two days ago I internally scoffed at a mom friend who declined a Zoom play date because her seven-year-old child was sticking to a work schedule while on self-isolation, which is what I think we call quarantine without criminal penalties.  Today, I’m thinking we might give that schedule thing a whirl.  

We’re running daily experiments of how to get done what we need to get done, how to stay connected with people we care about (without live contact), and how to take care of our mental, psychological, and physical needs.  While trying to help others do the same.  It’s a busy time.  A good time to be in action, in service.  

And a good time to remember that I’m feeling it, my kid is feeling it, my husband’s feeling it, and we are all doing our best, even when it doesn’t look that great.  It’s a good time to remember to fill my own cup first so I can support this new normal for my family and my community.

So that when Ax builds a fort from all his earthly belongings I can laugh and hug him and join him in there rather than tense up and demand immediate neatening.  So I can breathe through this situation knowing it will be what it will be.  I’m doing my part to stay safe and keep others safe.  I’m gonna keep going.

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