I was thinking over the weekend on how much our life has changed since March 13, 2020. Yes, there has been so much disruption. Yes, I have so much fear but I also have some new hope. I have hope that some of this new reality remains when life gets “back to normal”.

I hope that the new normal includes:

Less trips to the grocery store. I am realizing how my weekend routine of going to the grocery store is not necessary. I am noticing we are eating less junk / processed foods.

Spending less time on social media. Okay, not social media but in our town’s social media pages.  People you have way too much time on your hands based on the over-reactions going on in those pages.  There are actual posts that begin with “controversial” whose only intent is to start an argument.  A shared meme lead to a family argument.  Learn to scroll people, learn to scroll. Or better yet read a book, take a walk or do one of the hundred things you said you would do if “only you had the time”.

Spend more time reading.  I’m reading every night since the teenager took over the remote and seems to no longer have a bedtime.

Keep sitting on the couch with the teenager at the night, instead of her hibernating in her bedroom. Having conversations like this:

Me: It’s nice you are no longer hiding in your room at night.
Abby: It’s nice you no longer have me on ignore because the Bruins abandoned you.

Keep playing cribbage every night after dinner.

Having less of a carbon footprint as I am not driving all over the freaking place.

Continuing to go without my Friday donut. I know it sounds silly, it is only $1.31 a week but two things: first, it is probably one of the worst “treats” I could eat and second: if I save that $1.31/week in a year I can splurge on a nice dinner out!

Writing more, I have not been writing as often because I forgot how important it is.

Hiking more. Every weekend we have been hiking behind our house for a few hours. Both with the girls and without. As the weeks go on they want to join us. Tho they might rather David didn’t always choose the path less traveled.

Eating together as a family. With Bridget’s after school therapy schedule and my school committee meetings we tend to eat on the run during the week. We have gotten used to Bridget sitting at the counter eating alone with her iPad. That has stopped during this time. We now sit together, without electronics.

Sleeping in on the weekends, not feeling like I have to get up and get so much done in the two days I have off. Of course having Abby being bored and organizing the house helps.

Bridget is not on her iPad as much. Weird, right? You would think with all this “down time” she would be on it more, not less. Instead she is doing dance party with Abby’s Alexa, doing her classwork (every day because hello routine), playing board games and balloon volleyball.

How about you? What is one thing that you are hoping transitions from this time in our lives to when we go “back to normal”?

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Please note, I would never ask a therapist, teacher, ESP or doctor/nurse work during this unprecedented pandemic.  However something is happening to families whose child has special needs and we have to talk about it.

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