We’re Going to Have to Slow Down and Take This School Year One Day (or Hour) at a Time
/
My oldest son who is nine years old and just starting fourth grade entered quarantine four days after school started back. He was identified as a “close contact” with a student who tested positive for COVID. His siblings were not subject to quarantine because school rules are extremely consistent and logical.
After an extremely brief period of pseudo-normalcy, we were plunged back into remote learning, isolation, and confusion about what any of us should be doing. During that fleeting first week of school, I started walking and jogging in the park next to the elementary school after dropping off the kids early in the morning. So, after dropping the younger two kids at school, my oldest son and I meandered around the park together. It seemed like a quarantine-safe activity since he was not showing any signs of being sick and the park was mostly empty.
As always, I was reminded just how much richer my life is when my children are with me. Sure, it can be more cumbersome and tedious, but as my son and I walked through the grass wet with early morning dew and along the park’s paths made from sand and crushed rock and shells, he slipped his hand into mine and talked non-stop.
He remarked on what the squirrels were doing and thinking, how calm and pretty the water of the small lake looked at this time of day, and thousands of other things I can’t remember.
That this boy who already lost an entire year of school to the pandemic and was instantly plunged back into the new normal that feels nothing like normal after four days can remain so relentlessly upbeat and full of wonder is nothing short of remarkable. He’s growing up a little more every day, but for now, that innocence and belief that the world is good and beautiful remain shockingly untouched.
Of course, we don’t spend all our time together anymore even when the opportunity presents itself. We both have little tasks to complete—he has TV shows to watch and games to play and I have mostly pointless work to do—but it was kind of nice existing next to each other once again. Sharing space is valuable and something that’s easy to take for granted.
With the way the school year has started, we might be sharing space with each other a lot more than any of us are expecting. There doesn’t seem to be much of a path forward other than to take things slow and try to find bits of joy wherever we can.
We’re heading into yet another year of uncertainty and pain. The least we can do is stop by and check in on local squirrels at the park from time to time. For all we know, they might be spiraling as well.
Thanks for reading! You can find more of my writing on Medium.
And sign up for email updates.