Our family, like many others, has spent a good deal of time inside the walls of history museums. Museums where we learn stories about war and loss and oppression and triumph and forgiveness and the power of community. The questions we often leave asking ourselves are, “Who would I have been during the Civil War? World War II? Vietnam? The Civil Rights Movement? What role would I have played?”
Over the past several days, we’ve been talking about the COVID-19 questions our children will have to field from their own kids someday. As parents, G and I both feel a need to remind them that they all have an opportunity here—one that might only come along once in a generation. Who do you want to be in this historical moment?
We’ve been given a chance to conduct ourselves like the people we admire from those history lessons. We’ve been given an opportunity to be the people we’ve told ourselves we’d be. For each of us that will be different, but we want to be sure to create time and space to think about our choices. Because one of the most important lessons I’ve taken from those stories is—You don’t get a second chance to write the history that lives in your heart.

And for those of you who wanted a Social Distance Academy update…

There are certain truths I’ve tried and tested in my life, but it always comes back to this: I need structure to thrive.

One really important thing I’m keeping in the forefront of my mind every day is that, while I’m the one scheduling the routine, this isn’t happening to ME, it’s happening to US. It’s not my responsibility to take on all the weight of our new reality. If we distribute the weight, we can carry it. If one person is holding all the weight, they’ll be crushed. I won’t be crushed.

There are certain truths I’ve tried and tested in my life, but it always comes back to this:

I need…

-Structure to thrive

-Movement, a healthy diet, rest and to be creative

-Connection to my family and my people

-Laughter

-Uninterrupted time with my husband

-Order in our home. 

Those are the goals and this is the schedule…

This Week (and pretty much the last three weeks):

Everyone gets dressed to their shoes every day

G makes sure everyone eats breakfast, the kids do their Guilford Public School distance learning and I work in my office

9:30 am, I take the kids out for Gym (it’s always outside of the house at a park or field)

Back home to do more GPS distance learning

12:30 pm, Lunch/Recess

1:30 pm, Corona Class (we go over numbers to better understand why it’s so important to be apart right now, we watch funny or inspirational videos of creative ways people are managing their time and feelings, we talk about the feelings/thoughts/fears that we’re all having, and this week the kids wrote a letter to their future children or nieces and nephews about this time in their lives)

2 pm, Guest Teacher via Satellite (incredible family and friends have been offering up their time to teach the kids everything from Cleaning 101 to Privilege and Racism, Applied Behavioral Analysis, Poetry, Army Helicopters, Disease and How it Spreads, Problem Solving, Lacrosse Workouts, How to Lie with Statistics….it’s been wonderful—PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN TEACHING, the kids love seeing familiar faces and we don’t tell them who’s teaching until the teacher’s face pops up on Zoom)

3-4 pm, OUTSIDE Time (or Room Recess but only if it’s raining…hard)

4 pm, the kids can get the (hidden) remotes to video games and the TV once their CoronaZone work is completely done (basically a whole-house clean)

4:30 pm, Screen Time (my oldest is allowed 2/2.5 hours with her phone, so she chooses to grab it as late as possible because it’s supposed to be handed in by 10 pm every night)

G-Man Master De has been walking me like a dog when he returns home from work in the basement (I’m a very happy puppy when he gets home and gets me out of the house, it’s turned out to be an ideal time to talk about and process our days and emotions)

Dinner/Bedtime