Hello Everyone,
“May you live in interesting times,*” was today’s first thought of the day. Literally. Why can’t my life be boring? I can deal with hard. No one expects life to be easy, and I’m used to one challenge or another, or even three at once. Currently: I’m working my new paralegal job from home – I’m still in training mode, having work approved, etc; while my husband works his job which is a merry-go-round of conference calls; while guiding my fifth grader through e-learning because we don’t attend public school and he has about three hours of homework a day; while making sure my eight grader doesn’t spend all day on her phone because then she forgets to drink water and gets a headache. Did I mention my new co-workers of the feline variety? They’re cute until they start screaming about why your new desk (laptop & folding table) is in the middle of their play area. Just this morning, feline co-worker number one stole my water. Just sticks her head in my glass and starts slurping.
As you can tell, I’m holding on to my sense of humor. But in all honesty, the hard part is I’m managing everyone’s mental and physical needs 24/7. Before, when they went to school, I got a break on that worry. I got to go somewhere else and focus on other things. Now, I’m working while answering questions about science homework.
If I were ever to write a zombie apocalypse story, this is how it starts. I did in fact start one a few months ago, but as stories came out of Wuhan, I dropped it. It was no longer fun and entertaining. It might be worth going back to as humor though? We’ll see. I might be better off shoving it in a drawer for five years. Or ten. No, fifteen.
In the meantime, the grownups have gone through all the salty snacks, the teenager has baked twice this week, and the tween has gotten far less exercise and occasionally, very literally, bounces off the walls. It’s been 3 days. I haven’t written (fiction) or read at all until yesterday. I finally fit in reading time after dinner and I feel better balanced this morning. It’s something I’m going to have to fit in to maintain my own center. I’m certain I’ll have some interesting stories for you in the coming weeks.
Please stay home if you can, stay away from people and things they’ve touched. Wipe your groceries down if you’re having them home delivered. We’re not paranoid. We’re just living in interesting times.
*Here’s an interesting take on the the “May you live in interesting times” curse: https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/07/interesting-times.html.
DAWN BONANNO 