I am so ready for this virus pandemic to be over
These past four months have been tough on my whole family but we have survived and had plenty of things to be thankful for. I think most of us have had struggles and worries over this respiratory lung virus thing. For so many this C lung virus or covid has drastically changed the way we live. The lung virus that can be deadly for some has changed the way we do things and has kept us inside for way too long.
I remember the day that I last stepped foot into a store like a special event of my life but the sad thing was it not so special. The day was March 13, 2020, the day after my family got the news that changed our life. My college son just got word that he would not be going back to school for a while and my younger boys were told that their school would be closed for three weeks. My husband called and said he would be working from home. So here is how I prepared for the virus.
The last trip to the grocery store had a lasting impression
Four months ago when I made my last grocery store trip is stuck in my head like the 9/11 question of "where were you when you found out the news of the plane crashing into the towers." I can remember the exact moment that I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store and almost all the parking spots were full. I was just at the store to get some extra food for my college kid and I was not prepared to panic buy until I walked into the crowded store. I can still see the empty store shelves in my head. I was not prepared for the long lines to buy my stockpile food. I remember just buying way too many boxes of pasta and crackers. I remember the asthma attack that took me three days to recover from. All the hand sanitizer that people were using and having to stand near the cleaning products flared up my asthma and filled my lungs with mucus. To this day I have not been inside that grocery store and instead have been doing curbside grocery pickup. I have heard from others that grocery stores have changed inside. So I am still kind of choosing to quarantine at home.
My first time inside a store after four months of the virus outbreak
Just last week, I got brave enough to go inside a store. I won't lie about being afraid of the C virus when it first broke out in my state. Having asthma has kept me from going inside stores in more ways than just catching the virus. At first, it was me being afraid of catching the virus, and then it was having to smell the chemicals from the cleaning products. I did not want to suffer from an asthma attack again. I only decide to go inside Sprouts because I had coupons for free food that were going to expire. So I chose a time and day when I knew that the store would not be crowded so I would not have to wait in a long line to pay for my food. I put on my face covering before I went into the store. That grocery store trip had me thankful for grocery store pickup.
I did fine with selecting my food and I was glad that the store was not crowded as I had a hard time following the arrows on the floor. I also had a hard time wearing a face mask as it made my breathing hard. Once I got to the checkout, I was glad that my younger son was with me to do the paying part. It was the cashier spraying cleaner on the conveyor belt that had me coughing and I was 6 feet away. Again the cleaning products caused my asthma to flare up and it took three days to get all the mucus out of my lungs. So staying at home is still a thing for me.
I am getting better at gardening
When this crazy virus thing all started, I had a desire to grow food. I don't have a green thumb but the food shortages had me wanting to grow food. Gardening is helping me cope with all this craziness. Seeing my indoor cherry tomato plant thriving is giving me a sense of purpose. I even have a small garden outside. I am amazed that I am able to grow spinach, kale, and beets in the sandy soil of New Mexico. My outdoor tomatoes are not doing well so I was happy to have found a tomato plant at Lowes that already had green tomatoes on it and a pepper plant that had flowers on it. They were marked down and I hope that I will get plenty of veggies from them. My husband made fun of me for buying these huge vegetable plants and said it was like buying fish from the store. I told my husband that growing food is helping me get through this pandemic.
I think having my freezers full is a good thing just in case the virus causes food shortages again. I even discovered that my neighbor's tree has edible fruit on it. All these years, I thought that it was an ornamental cherry tree but my new neighbor told me that you can eat the cherries. So now I have plenty of cherries in my freezer.
Exercise helps me too
My daily fitness routine has helped me cope with the effects of the virus. When I am out running with my boys, I forget about what is going with the world. I listen to music and use this time to pray. I also discovered a peach tree while running. This tree is loaded with peaches so I am hoping that the person will need some help with harvesting the peaches. So I can get some fresh organic peaches for my freezer for my smoothies.
My college kid went back to school
My middle son went back to school last week. His academy is going to be a close campus so things will be safer for him. It was hard to see my son leave after having him home for four months. Plus I may not see him until next summer as he will be going on a ship for 9 months this fall. My oldest son also left last month to go overseas for a year.
I did gain a new office once my son left for school. So it felt good to move out of my bathroom office and into my son's bedroom. I now have a desk to work at. Now I have to start thinking of my younger boys and their schooling. My boys have recovered from the COVID slide so I am not worried about them attending school. If school starts next month, the boys will be doing online classes for 3 days and attending school for 2 days. So I want to make the dining room the schoolroom for the boys. Maybe they will be more productive if they are not doing online learning in their bedroom. I just hope that the boys will be challenged with the online school as I have no clue about homeschooling. I also started boosting my kid's immune system so they will hopefully stay healthy while going to school.
A new grandbaby
My daughter is having another baby this month. So I am excited to be a grandma again. Anticipating a new life helps me forget about the crap that covid is causing. I have been enjoying my grandma playdates with my granddaughter while my daughter has her doctor's appointments. I am glad that they live close by so I can help my daughter out after the baby comes.
Church food events
Last month my church had three Convoy of Hope Food events and my family had a great time helping distribute the food. Our church was able to give out boxes of food to over 600 cars in a drive-through set up in the church parking lot. Convoy of Hope delivered semi-trucks of food to our church. Then the boys and I helped unload the food from the pallets onto tables so other people could load them into cars. The boxes contained produce and dairy items. I had never seen so much milk. My pastor was able to get other items donated from places around our town so I had fun blessing others. It was also great to talk with other church members while we served.
The hot tub
The hot tub that we bought in April finally arrived and I am glad that we bought a hot tub. The pools here will not be opening so the hot tub is helping us while we have to stay at home. The boys love splashing in the hot tub during the day while my husband and I enjoy relaxing in the hot tub at night. The hot tub is now a part of my 12 sleep tips.
Eating at a restaurant
My college son has a favorite restaurant and likes to eat there every time he comes home from school. So we went there right before he went back to school. I am glad that we were able to eat outside on their patio. It was different eating at a restaurant as we had to wear a face mask while we walk to our table. Up until now, we have only done take out so getting out of the house felt good.
Baking is still a thing
My younger son and I have still been baking. My son is getting great at making cheesecakes and frog bread. While I have been making plenty of no-peel apple crisps to use up all the apples we received from the school lunches. I also have been making homemade bread and had fun making Focaccia Bread Flowers. Baking helps me relax and I love eating the goodies. I am now trying to think of new recipes that use the Five Minute Chef device as it makes cooking so easy for my boys. That way they can help with making dinner.
Counting my blessings
For the most part, I am taking it one day at a time. Thinking of the future stresses me out as well as watching the news. I am thankful that my family is all healthy and that my husband has a job. My husband is still working out of the home but leaves once a day to inspect places to make sure they are following the governor's orders. I try to keep a positive outlook on this viral pandemic and my prayer list is long. I am tired of hearing a couple of quotes like "we are all in this together" and "stay healthy" as I hear them too much. I am not sure what my new normal will be but I will keep saying His name as my faith in Jesus is helping me get through this tough time. I need to just be like my son and relax in the hot tub often.
10 comments:
So glad you shared your personal coping mechanisms. This period has been challenging for me as well. I have found that I pay very close attention to eating healthy, staying occupied mentally and staying connected with family and friends. So far we are all doing well. Stay safe and well.
Amazing story!!! The first couple of weeks were challenging for us but we later on adapted to the new routine and things are great now.
yay getting out and experiencing some normal things again is great. Congrats on the new grand baby that is exciting.
I can remember our last grocery shop too. I thought my husband was crazy for wanting to stock up, but I'm so glad we did it!
Amazing story. We are still under lockdown though. Now I wonder what would happen after our lockdown.
Thank you so much for sharing! Glad you found a way to cope up with this pandemic.
Gardening is a pleasant activity that helped me too. And baking is a lot of fun and I can do it with my daughters!
I'm glad to hear you're keeping safe at the very least. I've taken to the garden and to painting the house. Hopefully I'll be safety back to work by the end of this month though!
Do agree with your points this situation was first very difficult for everyone to face but slowly everyone just adapted it and now it is better one...well glad to know about it..Thanks indeed for sharing your ideas..great work though...
I am also ready for this virus pandemic to be over, as it has made my life a little bit more boring than usual. Glad you improved your skills at some things! :)
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