I hear so many comments about how toilet paper isn't useful in coping with a respiratory illness. About how stupid people must be to blindly stock up on something so random. So I just want to clarify for anyone who needs clarification that I didn't stock up on toilet paper because I feared a violent and prolonged evacuation of my insides...I stocked up because if next week the stores decide to close, and they stay closed for a week? 2 weeks? longer?, I want to make sure I have toilet paper to last that long. Did I get too much? Maybe. But I've never sat down and figured out how many rolls we use per week so I could accurately calculate how much I needed in case of a pandemic. Short sighted, I know. And considering that a) it doesn't go bad and b) I will use it eventually, I'll go ahead and err on the side of too much. That doesn't make me a selfish monster. There is the odd person out there being unreasonable about it and stockpiling for the apocalypse, but there always is. Just like there will always be the guy who spent so much time making fun of everyone getting TP for a respiratory illness that he forgot to notice that he's fresh out. But most of us in the middle are, like with everything else, just doing our best and trying to use common sense.
That was a lot of words about toilet paper.
I digress.
Day 2! Still going strong over here. It occurred to me today that this weekend might be particularly hard on my husband. Even though he is still getting out to work during the week, he is the type of person who needs to go out and do things on the weekend. If it gets much past noon and we haven't left the house yet, he gets antsy and grumpy. Even if there is no reason that we need to leave the house. He will invent a reason. He will sit down and grab his computer and think about something he's been wanting to buy and look for a sale. He will wander around the house and look for things that need fixing or replacing and make a list for Home Depot. He will go to Best Buy! Guys always want to go to Best Buy...
But he will NOT be satisfied staying put. Reading in bed? No thank you. Midday movie? Heck no. Board game? Not without sustained begging from E and a stern look from mom. We can do all of those things later. After the sun goes down. But first we must make hay!
I don't remember a whole weekend going by when we didn't go out and do something at some point. I'm interested to see how this goes. Wait a second...maybe, just maybe, I can convince him that this is the perfect opportunity to paint a bedroom or two. Pick up a couple of gallons of paint on the way home, be at home and still be productive. This might be a win-win! I'll keep you posted.
As for the girls and I, outside time has turned out to be key. It's amazing for moms with an 11 year old who loves sudden outbursts of extreme noise pollution and throwing her body around at will. It's glorious for moms of almost-3 year olds whose volume dials are perpetually stuck at "Ear Splitting". It's the reason I'm writing to you right now.
We have a big property that is great for running both the dog and the children. Earlier today we went out and created a giant obstacle/activity course that starts at the driveway, wraps around the back and down the hill and winds back up to our side yard. Right now the girls are back out at the Nature Centre E created to entertain e. Being outdoors lends a sense of freedom to this sentence, which I think will be a lifesaver as time goes on. Who knows? Maybe J will even get started on that treehouse we never got around to building last year!
Oh, right. Expectations. Also key. We're at the beginning of a new adventure that we've never been on before. Everyone will respond to the challenges it presents in our own ways, some days better than others. And so, in an effort to set ourselves and each other up for success, I present to you my newly created:
Seven Secrets to Surviving Self-Isolation (SSSIgh...*)
1. Keep expectations low.
2. Empathize.
3. Be patient.
4. Be a team player.
5. Allow everyone to have a voice.
6. Listen.
7. Stay positive!
Now, I'll admit, I just invented these. They haven't been plagiarized from a peer-reviewed scientific journal entitled COVID Today or Nuclear Fallout Readiness. So no guarantees. But I might just print them out and display them somewhere prominent and see if it helps. Come to think of it, that's called Phase II Research. I'll expect those journals to be contacting me any day now.
* pretty clever, right?!
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| Backyard NOTE: In the distance, you will see a deer to the right of the beech tree and to the left, if you squint, a coyote. It's better than the Discovery channel back there! **no animals were harmed during this encounter...miraculously. |
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