Hi Everyone. I guess this as good as time as any to get back to writing. I seem to have a wee bit of time on my hands. And a little bit of nervous energy to get rid of. So, I hope you will indulge me as I bang out a few thoughts on the keyboard over the next days, weeks…
This is a crazy, unprecedented time for all of us. We are navigating an unknown world, not sure what each new day will bring. If you are like me, not looking too far in to the future yet. Right now I am just trying to focus on today and maybe a few days in advance. My brain has been on overload and I already feel like I am a bit burnt out. The constant news cycle and social media blitz has taken its toll. I need to control it and slow it down. Once or twice a day is enough. More than enough. I get it, we are living in the middle of it. And yes, it is fucking terrifying.
Transitioning to remote learning is insane. On both ends, from the school side as well as being a parent of two teenagers. I will write more about this later but can I just say that I am not surprised that all educators and ALL school staff have stepped up in this time of need and are going above and beyond to make this work. But, please remember, this is a learning curve for EVERYONE, we all need patience, forgiveness, patience and please practice kindness above all else.
Like most of us, I am still trying to make sense of this new norm. There have been some meltdowns, tears, anger, frustration. We will have to figure out a schedule. School time, work time, down time, nap time, reading, exercise, binge watching, zooming with friends… But right now I am trying not to be too hard on myself or the girls, just letting us work through our “stuff”. A weekend to regroup and then get organized.
I do love that the girls have been doing adult paint by numbers, we should have some beautiful new art pieces to display soon =)
I have been keeping my sanity by continuing to get up early and taking Memphis on an early morning walk. We leave when it is still dark and return to the apartment when the sun starts to rise. It is at this time of day that I find some moments of clarity and peace.
This morning the streets were nearly empty. I saw a couple of police cruisers, lone runners, fellow dog walkers, a few people heading to work and the mighty sanitation workers. As I passed the fearless trash collectors, I stopped to say good morning and thank them. That brief interaction moved me to tears. All of the good people in the city, bravely going to work. The unsung heroes. It is so strange to see a city like New York with so few people on the street, but I looked around and still felt connected. Lights warmed windows, lone runners still made eye contact and smiled, a good morning shouted from a doorman across the street. We are still connected. As I continued to walk, the sun started to rise and the birds started chirping.
And really, that is all I have for today… the birds were chirping. A new day starts. Not sure how it will all go, but we are all in this together, connected.
Love you my friends, may you all be healthy. And thanks for reading my ramblings.
Here are some pics from the morning walk including the last telephone booths on the UWS, located at W.91st and W.101st. Oh, and a pic of the gigantic bottle of bourbon the dude at my liquor store convinced me I needed 😉
It's Always An Adventure 