March is almost over and Spring is officially here. I had so much hope for Spring. Back in July/August of last year, I fell into one of my usual “funks,” and it somehow carried over into Winter. I have been dreaming about sun on my skin and grass under my feet. Of digging in the dirt, and playing in the water. But life doesn’t always go as planned.
After a Winter of household sickness, and then trying to get myself out of the house more after our recovery, I had really started depending on the idea of Spring and Summer getting us back into working condition. In our happy place, and frolicking with family and friends. Maybe not “frolicking,” but it’s a fun word.
Our New “Normal”
Now that it’s Spring, we can’t visit friends, family, go to fun places, and if we go to parks, we have to watch out for people. Even neighborhood walks are trickier. We have to keep our distance from everyone, which I find slightly comical as a Midwesterner. We are known for going out of our way to be neighborly. And we still do. Despite switching to walking on the street, or moving across the street to pass by one other, we are all always smiling, waving, and saying hello. All while trying to do our parts to stay healthy, and keep others healthy.
Explaining to a 2 and 4 year old that they can’t run up to friends we see or pet the doggy that’s passing, is rough. They just don’t understand. They just want to love on people, and the best way to love on people has changed for the moment.
Connecting in New Ways
Something that I am incredibly thankful for in this time, are the many ways to continue to be connected with friends and family. I am super thankful for the ability to text or call friends and family whenever needed. We can still share photos and videos of what we are doing. I have been on video meetings this week, got to chat with some girl friends for over 2 hours the other day, and of course, my husband’s ability to work while staying home.
I’ve also loved watching all the companies and people who have seen the need during this time and have lowered prices, or even offered things for free. People know that community is incredibly important right now, even if we need to do it from a distance.
Finding New Focus
In all this chaos and craziness, I’ve tried to focus on the good things. Like the hope of Spring that kept me going in Winter. I’m so thankful that during this time of shelter in place, at least we have some good weather coming our way, the opportunity to get outside for fresh air and sunshine, and for us specifically, we are focusing a lot on our garden. This year we started planning early, and even have started some plants indoors. We set up our beds a few weeks before everything happened, so now we can plant as the weather allows, and watch things grow.
So hopefully, even with everything going on currently, you are soaking up family time, getting some outdoor time, and finding a new perspective to this new “normal” for the time being.
How are you finding joy in the chaos?
This post was written as part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to read the next post in this series “All Things New”.
created by @pheonixfeatherscalligraphy for C+C, 2020
Holly – I loved reading this, and love the way you sectioned off the thoughts. I, too, have found joy in the chaos by finding new ways to feel connected, taking some time to regroup and re-prioritize. Wishing you and your sweet family all the joy!