Oh, Corona
Like many people, we were expecting the corona virus to hit the US just like it had in all the other countries, what we were not expecting was that our world would stop in its tracks, that we would be shut down for close to a year, or it would still be running rampant 2 full years later. I remember getting the phone call from my daughter’s school saying they were closing for two weeks, and I had to figure out what to do with them since work was still open. I remember days after dropping my kiddos off to my parents in Maryland getting the call that now work was shut down for a few weeks. I remember driving back down to Maryland to get my girls with hardly any cars on the road & my biggest fear- getting pulled over for traveling out of state when we were in lock down.Those few weeks ended up being 3 months. During those three months I was happy to be home, be limited to only my husband working, that way there was very low risk of even bringing it in to the house to my mother-in-law. Since hospice had been put on hold due to the virus, my best friend would go grocery shopping for us, disinfect them all and leave them on the porch for us. Once I knew they were there I would bring them in and put them away. When the hubby came home from work he would strip on the porch, throw his clothes in the washer, & head upstairs to shower. We did what we had to do to protect ourselves and those we loved, we stayed inside, bonded as a family, struggled through virtual learning, launched this blog, and I got a glimpse in to just how wonderful being at home was, even as a caretaker. While there were times my mother-in-law drove me crazy with her requests, I look back and cherish every time she wanted to watch a show with me, or requested Marcella to make her favorite potatoes, or a third cup of coffee at 4pm in the afternoon. The anxiety had subsided because I was home with her and didn’t have to worry about her being by herself. As days passed on and turned in to weeks, I knew that eventually I would have to return to work, and that terrified me… for the simple fact of bringing the virus home to her or what could happen while I was away
I soaked in the days of hanging out, writing, playing with the kiddos and all the moments in between because I knew I would get that phone sooner than later. When my phone rang Nicci I was beyond ecstatic, I knew what this call was for. I was ready to get back to work. I missed my coworkers, my job, and most importantly my customers, but due to virtual learning I wouldn’t return with everyone else, I would return in June. Great an extra month to finish up virtual learning with Marcella and then summer bound, hopeful we will be returning to “normal” by then- whatever that meant.
