I’m noticing a pattern in my anxiety… when I spend a lot of time on say Facebook, or various news outlets and I read reports of states opening up even as deaths are on the rise, or how wearing masks is now a political statement, or how the spread of misinformation is the new pandemic… that’s when the anxiety starts to rise. This is a recent thing as I had thought I was doing great once the dust sort of settled, but feelings of anxiousness have really picked up the past week. 

Truth has never been more subjective than it is right now. When trying to cite a reputable news source recently a FB friend countered, “We can’t trust the media anyway because they’re all owned by big pharma!” What? We can’t trust ANY news source? No journalists are reputable? We can only trust, as she said, “those on the front lines” as if they don’t have their own biases and agendas? Of course it doesn’t help–nay, IT HURTS US AS A COUNTRY–when we have a President who contradicts himself on the regular, says he’s joking when he’s not joking about ingesting bleach and then has his press sectretary say it was all taken out of context.

But back to the anxiety… it has intensified as the more I look around and the more I see people are all essentially looking at the same thing–a worldwide pandemic the likes of which we have never seen before–and yet drawing wildly and even catastrophically different conclusions.

[readmore title= “Click through to read more about my FB related anxiety this week. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.”]

Happy Friday everyone! I was recently checking out Rotten Tomatoes’ list of 250 best movies on Netflix right now and was so thrilled to see that CripCamp was listed at #2.

If you haven’t heard of CripCamp it’s the first film, a documentary, released from the Michelle and Barack Obama’s Higher Ground production company. CripCamp focuses on a Camp Jened, a summer camp for disabled kids in the 1970’s that became an incubator for the Disability Rights movement leading to the passing of the ADA in 1990, as many of the Disability Rights leaders were these very kids from Camp Jened.

As the beginning of the film unfolded with footage from Camp Jened in the 1970’s I immediately thought back to last summer when I took Lamp to her first summer camp in Texas, a camp for kids with congenital limb differences. It is a unique experience to watch your disabled child walk into a room filled with other disabled children and know, KNOW, that this will be the first time she walks into a room full of children she doesn’t know and she won’t be stared at, won’t pointed at and won’t be whispered about. Unlike nearly every other situation in her life, she will blend in with the crowd. I watched as she rolled up to other kids and easy conversations started without double-takes or questioning each others’ bodies.

The beginning of CripCamp was a joyful peek into the past where these kids really could just be kids first and foremost. It’s funny, uncensured and a bit crazy like summer camp should be. (Also, it’s rated R, so not for little ones…although there is so much I want my children to see about this movie.) And then there are the conversations as these kids sit around the table discussing real issues–their rights. It was beautiful to see these kids from the past sit around and listen to each other, even when some of them had very delayed speech and were difficult to understand. Instinctively, they knew the importance and the necessity of waiting on bodies and minds that may not function at a typical pace, but that have important thoughts to communicate nevertheless.
[readmore title= “Click through to read more about CripCamp. And I’d love to hear your thoughts!”]

How has your week been? I feel like we’ve settled pretty comfortably into life for the time being, and I’m even enjoying life quite a bit in this slow-down phase. (Which of course speaks to the privilege I have.) This is a drastic change from the first couple of weeks where I felt a constant heaviness on my chest. Of course I realize for many people this heaviness has intensified, but for me it has lifted, at least for now. My husband it not seeing any patients for the time being (except for 1 emergency) but he still goes into the office a few times a week to work on things, but other than that he’s home quite a bit and helps out with the girls schooling, making food, etc. We’re thinking about doing a fancy, dress-up dinner this weekend, but honestly, the thought also makes me tired–ha! We’ll see… I’m sure it would be a fun quarantine memory. 

Are you up to anything fun this weekend? I’d also love to see some of your favorite things you’ve spotted around the web. One thing I have learned over and over again in this pandemic is just how good humans are. I love keeping up with all the good news channels that help keep up my faith in humanity, like Tanks Good News, and John Krazynski’s Some Good News. Here are a few other fun and interesting links for your weekend enjoyment. Oh and if you didn’t see the photo above, you can check out the whole post here. Be forewarned, it’s a bit of a heartstopper. 

[readmore title= “Click on through for 18 links from around the web!”]

Last week, I was casually scrolling through Instagram stories when I stopped on my friend, Molly Jackson’s account as it read “I’m buzzing my hair tonight.” As I clicked through I watched as she  started chopping off her blonde shoulder length locks with surprise + adrenaline fused glee as her husband filmed and supported her in the background. I got to the end of the stories and there wasn’t yet a final reveal–it was happening almost in real time!–and I went back and tried to piece together what prompted this bold move. It’s not my story to tell, so I’ll direct you to Molly’s post here, but in short she has wanted to do this since high school. (But believe me, there is much more to it than that… Molly is a survivor.)

Two days later a local friend texted me a picture of herself with a newly shaved head and said, “How do you like my cut?” To be clear, these two friends don’t know each other at all. This same friend also cited that she had wanted to do this for a long time and is tired of the upkeep with hair dye and regular hair appointments.

[readmore title= “Click through to read about more bold moves. Are you contemplating something bold?”]

We’ve been having A LOT of movie nights in our house recently. And a lot more TV in general–I’m sure most of you can relate. We’ve been introducing our kids to a lot of older movies. This is nothing new really, as I’ve always loved showing them old favorites like Goonies, A League of Their Own, ET. But the pandemic has us reaching deep for some oldies but goodies and I thought we could share what we’re all watching with our kids these days.
[readmore title= “Click here to see what movies we’ve introduced to our kids lately. I want to hear yours as well!”]

Hello.

How are you? Hanging in there I hope. Maybe even doing better than hanging in there? I think for most of us, myself included, navigating these unprecedented times continues to be day-by-day, even hour-by-hour. Thankfully we are seeing more sunshine as of late and that is helping me SO MUCH. Getting out on a daily family walk in the morning is such a great way to start our day–even when “starting our day” happens more around 9:30 or 10. Any favorite survival strategies to share right now?

Besides watching Netflix, playing games and eating all your quarantine snacks, what are you up to this weekend? It looks like I’m going to be making some face masks. (Sounds so strange doesn’t it?) It seems that while we Americans were initially being told not to wear masks publicly, that recommendation could be changing soon. There is data to support the positive effects of wearing masks while out in public during this time, while also still practicing social distancing, washing hands and not touching your face. Of course we shouldn’t be buying any of the N95 masks that our medical personnel need, but I’ve seen a lot of tutorials for making your own masks. While no experts agree on one specific type of mask, I did find this list of different mask tutorials from the LA times, and I was drawn to this mask tutorial recommend by a doctor who is also a quilter. I like that it’s contoured to fit your face (as opposed to the masks with pleats) and that there is a built in pocket for a filter–something that most doctors are highly recommending. These masks are actually the kind of masks you can make to donate to hospitals as well! I’m going to go ahead and paste the video below so you can watch, and here is the pattern so that you can print it out.

And now, how about some wonderful distractions from the Coronavirus related news? Truth be told, most of them are still Coronavirus related, but most are funny and I think we need laughter more than just about anything right now. 

  [readmore title= “Click here for a bunch of great links including Easter Basket fillers from small businesses.”]

I finally looked over at the clock. Had I even slept? It was 4 something. OK yes, I had slept some.

And before I can turn over and actually process that there is a reason I’m having a hard time sleeping, the realization of our new reality hits me again, as it does every morning.

This is real. The Coronavirus, quarantine, school closures, business closures, it’s all real.
We won’t be going anywhere today, at least not officially. We will most likely leave the house for a walk or a drive, but no church, no school, no stores, no playgrounds. We’re meeting no one and going no where in particular.

Time. Unlike toilet paper and sanitizer we suddenly find ourselves with an expansive surplus of time spread out before us like the Nebraska farmlands of my childhood. What are we supposed to do with all of it? 

And by the way, how did this even happen? Quickly.

*****

Today is Wednesday March 18, 2020

Friday March 6th I was flying home from Palm Springs, California after a week long conference.
Saturday March 7th we had a house full of family who had come see our daughter’s middle school play. We went as a family that night and it was fantastic.
Sunday March 8th, was my daughter’s last performance and I was volunteering during that performance as well. Most of our family had already left, my in-laws were leaving the next morning.
Monday March 9th I had a meeting after school to about our daughter’s Model UN conference in Columbus that weekend for which I was chaperoning. Everything was a go, no word of cancellation.
Tuesday March 10th, the Model UN conference was canceled.
Wednesday March 11th the WHO declared the Covid-19 a pandemic. I went to Costco that evening and waited in the longest line of my life. The next morning I heard the line was out the door.
Thursday March 12th the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, became the first governor to cancel school for the entire state.
Friday March 13, was our last day of school and we quietly wondered about our upcoming church activities and Sunday Meetings.
Saturday March 14th church and all other activities were canceled the foreseeable future.
Sunday March 15th My husband wondered if he would have to close his dental practice.
Monday March 16th my husband was canceling all patients past 11AM that day and for the next 2 weeks. It was strongly urged by the dental association.
Tuesday March 17th the recommendation to close dental offices became a mandate, not a suggestion.

Wednesday March 18th here we are. (Of course now it’s one week later from when I originally started this post. TIME.)
  [readmore title= “click on over and please tell me how you’re doing! For reals… I’d love to hear.”]