Dear Friends,

I’ve been watching some of the late-night stars do their monologue via computer while in this recent quarantine.  That made me think about how it might be fun to share a few of our ideas, and reflections via email.  

In my first days of the 15-day plan I’ve learned quite a bit about myself and others.  Like everyone, day one was very odd. I turned on the computer, checked email, walked around, ate, checked with my principal, and the Jimmy Cliff song, Sitting Here in Limbo kept playing in my head. (Although my husband says the Jerry Garcia version is better).  It was sort of like a snow day, lessons done, waiting for instructions on if we are going to school tomorrow.  On day two I got a little more serious, started reaching out to parents and students personally, learning new programs for communication, but still – in limbo.  Day three I forgot about logging in my attendance, got really serious about emails at 6:30 am, and my daily vocabulary began to change as I started using words like  Social Distancing, Zooming, Screencastifying and doing everything Virtually.  On day four I realized a schedule was needed as memories of me having mono back in high school suddenly were re-opening. You were home for a long time and it was easy to hang out in your PJs and sweat pants and then when you went to put real clothes back on you realized you were 50 pounds heavier.  On day five I was invited to my first zoom virtual happy hour and missed it. My new life became defined by these 3 w’s:  worrying, working, and walking.  

 Let’s talk about walking. I’ve always been a walker, there are a few of us.  We walk all year, by ourselves, and are mindful of the world around us as we do. You see the same people who also walk every day,  some like me just walking and thinking, some on their phones or listening to music, and others talk to themselves, often loudly,  and you think they are a little weird and you should stay away. When you saw or heard these people you would go to the other side of the street.  Now you go to the other side of the street because it is the right thing to do, social distancing. People are also more friendly, everyone says hi, hello, how are you.  And have you noticed all the people out walking? Mothers and fathers, kids and grandparents, husbands and wives, even my husband Tom is walking! Kids are riding bicycles and playing games.  I saw a family playing croquet in their yard today and 2 young girls figuring out how one could ride a bicycle and pull the other one on her skateboard using a rope. These are things I used to do when I was a kid, way back in the 60s.  

Let’s talk about food.  How many of you have dug deeper into your freezer this week than you have ever before?   I found some Dove ice cream bars, leftover appys from the Super Bowl, a chicken pot pie from a supermarket that is now out of business, and way too many half-full bags of different types of french fries and veggies.  In one week, I have learned how to stretch food longer than I ever would have before. My St. Patty Day corn beef, which would have usually been tossed the next day, was reused for sandwiches and made into my first attempt at corned beef hash.   I have had neighbors comment to me that it makes you appreciate parents of my age, those who lived through the great depression. My mom could stretch a piece of meat all week, night one was the meat itself, day two sandwiches, day three a stew, day four was some sort of casserole, and every night it was good, well most of the time.  My parents would reuse their tea bags, straws, plastic cups, dryer sheets, plastic bags, rags, and the disposable generation was something they never understood and called “wasteful.” Everything had a purpose and could be reused again. I used to know that and rediscovered it this week as I limited my paper towel, toilet paper, food, soap, and Lysol wipe usage.  

Family became the most important thing of all.  I spoke with my sisters every day this week. We would usually talk when needed, or once a week for that check-in call, but we spoke every day this week.  Thank Steve Jobs, Google or whoever created cell phones for that tool of being able to reach out and facetime, talk, communicate.

Speaking of face time, please do not do that with me.  Is it facetime or do I really look like that?  

Between my Saturday night virtual happy hour on Zoom and facetime phone calls, added to the reality that I will not be able to get into a hair salon or nail salon for what may be a long time, it is a frightening reality.  Is my hair really that color? Do I have that many wrinkles? Is my face that ugly? Wow, talk about a wake-up call! And the bad news is, the worst is yet to come! My hair appointment, set for next weekend is canceled, my toenails will be 1 foot long before this is over and the cute green nail color that I got for St. Patty’s day will be on the 6-inch end of those toenails.  I might have a beard and mustache, (oh please no) and hopefully, I will be so sick of creative ways to reuse food that I will have lost some weight. When I tried all those ways of losing weight, Weight Watchers, Noom, Atkins, South Beach, wow I never considered just eating as my parents did.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.  How’s it going for you? Not having little kids here anymore in my home,  I’d love to hear how that’s going. I heard Jimmy Kimmel say that he made a macaroni necklace with his kids one day and the next day they ate it.  Please share your stories of love, fear, new ideas, appreciation, family, learning, and funny stories, (they are still out there). Be well, my friends.