10 Things I Learned During Quarantine #Corona2020

 

Quarantined! Well, I didn’t see this one coming a mile away! My family and I had been keeping an eye on the Corona Virus overseas for many reasons. First, it was because my son was set to travel to Nepal in the Spring. Then it was because of my family in Italy, the beautiful country that we traveled to over the Summer. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen here in the United States. Yes, I was naive, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. We always seem to think it would never happen to us. Lesson learned. It has been a month now since we have been placed on “lockdown”, “quarantine”, “shelter in place”, or whatever you want to call it. Things will never be the same, but I have faith that in time things will be better.

10 Things I Learned (so far) during Quarantine:

10. I still can’t get over the toilet paper thing, actually the entire paper products thing. ( I’ve been hit with allergies and they would only let me buy one box of tissues! I am however thankful that a Facebook friend mentioned the toilet paper shortage early on and encouraged me to buy a case from Amazon. I did, then felt like a jerk. Now, I feel really good about my purchase! )

9. I’m worried about the environmental impact of this virus. ( All the plastic being tossed, PPE, paper/foam plates- seriously, just wash your plates people, cups etc……I know some of this can’t be avoided, but we can do better.)

8. Switching to solely cloth napkins months ago has been a godsend. ( We have been using cloth napkins for quite some time. This virus has me being even more eco- conscious. I bought reusable cotton pads for makeup removal, cuts, etc, washable wee-wee pads for my puppy, and made my own paper towels. I will not be a slave to the paper product aisle!)

7. Routine is important to my family. ( I jumped into action right away. We would get dressed and make the beds every day. School work would be complete with breaks, but no video games. Wake up would be at 8 A.M. School starts at 9. This is what works for my family and I know that it might not work for yours, but having some predictability when there is none helps. After a few days my kids told me this helped them.)

6. My tuition dollars are at work. ( Both of my children attend private school and having lost my income to pay for one of the tuitions has made us struggle. The plus side of this is that both schools were ready to hop online and continue instruction. It was seamless. I haven’t said much about it because I can see the pain and anguish many parents, students, and educators are enduring because of this situation. We are happy with our investment.)

5. This quarantine has changed how we eat. ( The grocery store gives me the creeps now. I started to shop local farms and small business. I don’t know why I haven’t done it sooner to this level. The cost might be a bit more, but the quality is top notch. Plus, my money is going to my community.)

4. Likewise, I have learned which local businesses I want to continue doing business with and which ones I don’t. (It was easier to get my non-refundable plane tickets credited than getting a credit or money back for goods and services we paid for and have not received locally. We are all struggling. Also a few businesses have been hiking up their prices. I will continue to shop and support the ones that are helping others and playing fair.)

3. I have rediscovered my love of cooking. ( Now don’t get me wrong, I cook all the time, but loving it? Maybe not, maybe it has gotten boring. I’ve tried so many new things, cleaned my pantry, and have been using all of my food. Nothing will be thrown away. I have been trying to practice mindfulness when I prepare our meals and honoring the ingredients.)

2. Don’t wait for next time because it might not be there. ( Oh, how I wish I did…, but instead I said next time. We really don’t have all the time in the world. I’m making an after COVID bucket list filled with local things I have taken advantage of and can’t do right now. I’m all in so watch out Hudson Valley!)

1. When I was first engaged a friend of mine gave me this advice. ” Make a home that they want to come back to. Your husband, your kids, will find everything they need there and it will bring them comfort and it will bring them joy and it will bring them peace. Create that space and all else will fall into place.”

( Another friend told me that was silly advice. Well, I have strived to create that space and if anything comes out of this experience it is the fact that we have that home. We have that space. Things aren’t perfect, but we have each other. We know each other. We are home.)

What have you learned?