Posts Tagged With: social distancing

worried but grateful

Posted on March 23, 2020 by robynbird

Our governor announced that Virginia schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year.
I am sad. And to be perfectly honest, sad isn’t a big enough word.

I’m sad for my school family.
I’m sad for my neighborhood kids.
I’m sad for the high school seniors who won’t experience the wonderful ritual of their senior year. No skip day. No prom. No graduation.

I’m worried for these kids.
For these educators. Y’all, if you don’t know, they are broken-hearted about not being in the classroom with their kids. I’m broken-hearted not to be in the classroom.
I miss being at school.
I miss being around kids and adults, teaching and learning together.
I’m worried because YBW had to go back to work today. Is he safe? Will he be exposed? Will he bring it home?

I am grateful that I am not sick. That none of my family is sick.
I am grateful I’m not worried about how to keep the lights on, or where our next meal is coming from.
I’m grateful for internet and streaming services and books and wine.
I am grateful that I have the ability to write about how this feels.

I’m reminded of something Hagrid tells Harry in the Philosopher’s Stone. “It was dark times, Harry, dark times.”
My heart hurts today.
But I’m quietly hopeful.

Categories: me | Tags: anxiety, fear, grateful, gratitude, love, quietly hopeful, sadness, school, self quarantine, social distancing, teaching, teaching and learning | 5 Comments

write it down

Posted on March 23, 2020 by robynbird

On his first day working from home, YBW said to me, “I wonder if I should be documenting this time?” His voice got all ‘movie trailer guy’ and he said, “YBW working from home: day one.”
I giggled, then encouraged him to document.

I told him about reading this interview with University of Virginia professor Herbert ‘Tico’ Braun.
In an email encouraging his current and former students to document their lives “during this unprecedented time” he wrote:

The mantra of our course is, ‘Write it down.’ When you do, much of your life and who you are will be different than if you don’t.

He tells his students, “You do not write alone.”
He’s so right!
We don’t write alone. Especially here, in this blogging community.
LA is sharing her life in this time. So is Maggie. Ellieejay and Betul shared theirs at Pointless Overthinking, Claudette is sharing her’s too.

What I love about reading these posts is that in an anxious and fearful time, these ladies are being real. Speaking their truths. Being honest and unmerciful with their thoughts and feelings. And using humor to their advantage.

I thank you for documenting your lives in these ‘unprecedented’ times. It helps us realize we are not alone, however shut away from the world we are. We are a community of human beings. And no matter how far and wide we are spread, we are all in this together.
By sharing our lives via the written word we begin to feel more connected in the immediate, and as time goes on these words will be powerful documentation to look back upon.

I’m choosing to journal about what I think and how I feel about this time in our world. It looks different than my blogging, but I approach it with the same level of honest and unmerciful truth, and a metric-fuck-ton more sass and complete disregard for proper grammar.
Regardless of where I write, I’m choosing to acknowledge fear and anxiety, flex my humor muscles, and embrace a whole lotta love, grace, and gratitude.

We’re all in this together.
Thank you.
I am truly grateful that we do not write alone.

Categories: me | Tags: be honest and unmerciful, community, documentation, grace, gratitude, Herbert Braun, human connection, love, self quarantine, social distancing, UVA, write it down, written words, you do not write alone | 10 Comments

fried chicken with an antihistamine chaser

Posted on March 22, 2020 by robynbird

Saturday afternoon, YBW decides he wants fried chicken for dinner. Partly because fried chicken is one of his favorite foods, partly because he wants to pay homage to Kenny Rogers.

Now, I’m a Southern girl, but I can’t make fried chicken to save my ass.
That means carry out, and I get behind the wheel of my car for the first time since…I honestly don’t remember when.

We go to one place, the drive up line is long so we keep moving.
We go to the next place, they’re monitoring the number of people entering the building. (no drive up) I don’t know what I want, and we both don’t want to go in.
One u-do-it (u turn) later and we’re passing the first place again, this time with more cars lined up around the building.
We finally land on a third place, get our chicken, and head home.

We’re catching up on Briarpatch episodes and nomming fried chicken.
All is well.
Until…
I start to get all dry and itchy in my throat.
I drink water, no relief.
I drink coca cola, no relief.
I take my plate to the dishwasher and begin to cough at the kitchen sink. So much so that YBW asks if I’m going to be sick.

Y’all, something in the breading or seasoned fries has triggered and allergic reaction in me.
And with what’s going on in the world this is not the time to head out for help. But I know how to handle it, it’s not the first time this has happened to me. Handful of zyrtec later I’m hoarse but breathing perfectly well.

(Benadryl works better but I’m allergic, so that’s a)

Only once I’m ready for bed, the coughing starts again.
FUUUUUUUCK!
So I get up go back downstairs and turn on Mad Men.

This morning I’m breathing and swallowing well, but my throat hurts. Not like a sore throat, more like like tight muscles.
So, RIP Kenny Rogers and his chicken. I’m grateful for zyrtec when it was inconvenient to seek medical attention, but I’ll pass on that cold chicken breast I was planning to eat today.

Categories: me | Tags: antihistamine, food allergies, fried chicken, self quarantine, social distancing | 10 Comments

an opportunity

Posted on March 20, 2020 by robynbird

So YBW’s company has divided his team into two groups and they’re alternating working from home and going into the office each week. This plan began Tuesday. Wednesday morning he’s at his computer in his jammies with the cutest bedhead hair ready to work.
His group won’t go back to work until Monday. Of course, he’s on call this week, so if anything blows up, he’ll be going into the office anyway.
This working from home thing is tricky because of the kind of work he does.
I don’t actually have an opinion about him working from home. (be sure to document my lack of opinion)

I’m up and dressed and going about the Robyn things.
I sort of feel like I should be adventurous when it comes to meal prep. But that also sounds like more effort than I’m willing to put forth. Not to mention more dishes for me to do.
I might actually tackle cleaning my closet. I mean, I recently did a bit of a purge, but I need to examine my shoe situation. They need to be put away properly, and I could take this opportunity to wash all the sweaters and get them put away for spring.

I’ve got a huge project of going through the last thirty years of photos that I was saving for when Thing 2 comes the first week of April. Of course, now, she may not actually come.
We had tickets to for a live Welcome to Night Vale show, but the US shows have all been postponed.
So I can either tackle that alone, or wait patiently for Thing 2 to come and assist. Seems a shame to waste the opportunity when I’m actively trapped in the house for the foreseeable future.

YBW asked me last night if I thought I might go stir crazy being trapped at home.
I honestly hadn’t thought about it.
But now, as I put forth (slack-ass) effort to plan my days, I’m beginning to wonder.
I have Netflix and Hulu. And Disney + is a thing, right? But I’m already over the television.
According to my local meteorologist, it’ll be 81 today. Maybe I’ll get on setting up some porch life?

I feel bad for complaining. Though TBPH, I’m not actually complaining, I’m just expressing my thoughts.
That’s the key. Minding the attitude. I’m not being a dick. I’m simply trying to suss it out…out loud…to all y’all…

My mood is actually quite good.
I have a big ass stack of TBR.
I have a ton of music to be organized.
I can go outside and get some vitamin D.

It’s just that I know there’s an opportunity in all this and I’m disinclined to waste it.
But an opportunity for what?
Stay tuned, y’all!