Sequestered with Teens; Week Three

Although sharing how my family is coping with the pandemic each day was fun and I appreciate all the people that reached out to encourage me… I have decided to move to weekly updates. It all started to sound the same… kids going crazy, playing tennis, finagling our way to the river, working from home, unending cleaning, yoga, showering- maybe… you get the picture. I still want to check in; not only for the camaraderie I experienced, but also to document what we went through during this crazy time.

My title is a bit deceiving. This week, I saw less of the kids. We are a combined family, so they were off with their other parents for much of the time. It was strange… I actually had the house to myself sometimes, a quiet I’ve become unaccustomed to.

Tennis… big surprise… but there is a surprise! Instead of Phoenix and I on the court… my mom, Jesse, and Ayden came to play! My mom hadn’t played for 30 years.

Whoa. And she did pretty well considering. We’ll definitely be playing again. Side note… my mom couldn’t even lift her arms because she had so much pain in her shoulders. Then she stopped eating sugar and BOOM… pain gone. Pain all over her body subsided!! Isn’t that crazy? Sugar is poison people. Later in the week, Ayden proved just how bored he was by asking me to go play tennis again. Poor kid. And to make matters worse… three of the local tennis courts were now closed. The two remaining open ones were full. WTF. Yep, that’s right… What the FUDGE.

I dreamt about my dad being sick, and a mossy bathroom, about skunks swimming in the ocean, and a stiflingly hot church with wooden pews. I stayed up late and wrote a story using my dream and current events as inspiration.

Day 17 was probably one of the most challenging. I don’t know why. I was antsy. Could NOT stop fidgeting at my desk. Was easily distracted. I felt hyper and tired at the same time. When I was done working, I didn’t know what to do with myself. There is no shortage of things to do at my house, but I didn’t want to do any of them!

I am currently on day four of a Celery Detox. I definitely took the easy route and ordered pre-made celery juices for the six day detox. My skin is breaking out like a hormonal teenager and I am sick of it!! My face is starting to clear up. Not sure if it is the celery detox, or one of the many other things I’m trying all at one once. Only time will tell.

Friday I worked until after 9pm, and then Jesse and I binge-watched Locke and Key (Netflix series. Highly recommend it!) until after 3am.

Easter Sunday was a really splendid day. We watched church online, went to visit Jesse’s mom, and my grandma. The gorgeous weather is to thank for the visits, as we stayed outside and respected social distancing. Not sure anyone would be getting a visit from this family if it was cold and rainy. Jesse, Ayden, and I went shooting in the mountains. I actually did my makeup and was excited to do it!

Today, I worked of course, and then Phoenix and I went kayaking on Vancouver Lake. My back is probably sunburned and my arms will probably be sore tomorrow. I cannot express how grateful I am to have grown up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and that there are so many amazing activities to do around us.

I was catching up with a friend via text earlier today. She said, “Man your quarantine sounds amazing!!!” (Then she followed it up by saying… ‘until they closed everything. lol’). But she is right. I get antsy, frustrated that I shouldn’t go somewhere, overwhelmed with parenting during this crisis… but for the most part, my family is good. Both Jesse and I are working. I am doing fun stuff with the people I love, and we’re getting stuff done around the house. A friend that is actually battling the Coronavirus right now, posted on Facebook that she’s knows once we go back to the busyness, she’ll look back and miss these moments.

Every day is a blessing, but sometimes we are so caught up in the chaos that swirls around us… we miss it. Before the pandemic happened, so many of us were so wrapped up in work, and to-do lists that we didn’t take time to just breathe and enjoy the day we’d been given. And now in the midst of COVID chaos… I think some people are just moving their focus from the craziness of pre-pandemic life, to worry and anxiety of what-ifs, and pending sickness.

I just hope I learn to be content, and to see the silver linings, and to make the best out of every situation… to breathe, to not panic, to remember that this life is here and gone in the blink of an eye. Paul said in Philippians 4, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” I hope I adjust my post-pandemic life to resemble more of what my days look like now… Satisfied without regard to my circumstances, to work hard, and to play hard too.