Friday the 13th is long gone. April Fool's was Yesterday. Can we Please Return to Normal Programming Now?
By MrsJ
@SophiaMorros (5044)
Belews Creek, North Carolina
April 2, 2020 9:10am CST
The world seems to be made up of two groups of people at the moment. Those who have found their normal schedules coming to a screeching halt because of the need for social distancing and those who are suddenly juggling more responsibilities for the same reason.
My children are grown and don’t require the time and attention during their school-day that younger children do. But having my young adults underfoot all day has definitely changed things around here. Of my weekly activities, only one has come to a complete halt, and that has been replaced with other opportunities from the same source that take up just as much time or more.
My sewing machine has been humming. What I am choosing to spend my time guiding under the feed-dogs of my sewing machine is not what I was planning a month ago, but there are still obligations to meet (I don’t think I will ever again be surprised at what I am asked to sew), and personal creative juices to allow to flow.
Yesterday, after a weeklong break, I’m back to spending three hours a day at my computer plugging away at my job requirements. And suddenly my days are even fuller than they were before this all started.
Nothing really looks quite the same as it did a month ago.
I don’t even have time to read all those Facebook posts about the value of taking the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the break from routine.
There are many others who are in similar circumstances. Even without the added stress of financial and health uncertainties, there are many, many people who are finding themselves with even less time to breathe than they had before.
Be kind, be patient, and remember that the current situation is impacting people in a lot of different ways. What concerns one person may seem insignificant to you...but then what concerns you may seem insignificant to them. Ultimately we are all dealing with this the best we can.
….quietly going to tuck my soapbox back into a dark corner of the closet.
5 people like this
6 responses
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
All of my family is in Canada. The borders are closed here as well. My sister was supposed to be here for a visit this week. Maybe I'll get to see her this summer.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
3 Apr 20
@SophiaMorros We will spend Easter alone and inside our home. We also hope to see our relatives this summer, I want to hope that this mess will be over by the end of June.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
@LadyDuck We have a family wedding in early June. That's not looking good right now. And another in October. Hopefully, things will be back to normal sooner than we expect.
2 people like this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
2 Apr 20
I'm finding it harder to transition from work to my own projects than I was expecting. Not complaining though.
2 people like this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
3 Apr 20
@SophiaMorros I finally got my EI benefits code in the mail. Going to filling out my cards online and hopefully they deposit money before next week's shopping day. If everything goes smoothly it will be a huge relief.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
@koopharper Praying that goes smoothly for you!.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
Work has been really challenging the last couple of days. With everything being up in the air I can plan my work schedule from one day to the next. I started at 9 this morning and didn't finish until 5. A normal day, you might say, except I only worked 3 billable hours. Now I wasn't at my desk the entire time, and I managed to slay plenty of dust bunnies and accomplished a few things around the house in the meantime. I'm thankful that I'm still working though. So many people are being laid off and furloughed...and the unemployment compensation systems are overwhelmed resulting in a time lag to get benefits.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
We do, don't we? I don't want this to become the new normal, though. Sadly, it looks like this could extend for some time to come.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
2 Apr 20
We are very blessed to be able to go outside and roam around. Most of our kids live too far for frequent visits anyway, but I really miss our son coming over (lives not so far). His office supply store is still open, so he's staying away to protect us.
Hope this isn't our new normal. Do you have some finished projects to show us?
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
I shared a quilt top a couple of days ago. We're blessed to have a large yard and live in a quiet neighbourhood so I can get out and walk. One of my kids is in Hawaii. And of course he's the one who has been furloughed for the foreseeable future (he works in the tourism industry). Thankfully everyone else still has their jobs, and as essential workers, they are all still working.
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
3 Apr 20
They haven't given us anything beyond the end of April at this point. But I said from the get-go that it would probably be at least July or August. The Facebook posts saying to stay home now so it will be over sooner don't really get it and it's driving me batty. The whole point of staying home is to slow the spread so medical resources aren't overwhelmed. China was shut down for 3 months, flattening the curve means we're likely to be shut down significantly longer.
1 person likes this
