Coronavirus Survivor’s Log- Day 15
Today’s the day! The day everything is supposed to return to normal! 15 days! Wait…what? “The next two weeks are going to be very, very painful…” You mean it’s not over?! Awww….mannnn….
Truthfully, I knew it wouldn’t be. I’m not sure when we will see “normal” again (if ever). Things have radically shifted in the span of really just a few weeks and it does seem like a life time ago since I hugged someone who was not my husband. But, this is what we do…our selfless act of heroism that each of us performs every day…staying home…staying away…staying alone…together.
Today’s prompt comes from my brain and the desire to make this morning normal in some way….So tell me about it…tell me about this morning….use all the senses. Write for ten minutes….GO!
This morning started early with my usual alarm clock- my little black lab-huahua mix. It starts with a soft whine at 5:40 and escalates to a full on tongue bath at 5:45. There is no snooze for this alarm clock….only a trip downstairs swing open the door and a bowl of kibble for him and his doggie sister. This morning he let me crawl back in bed and snuggled in for the day’s first nap until 7:30.
I rolled out of bed this morning, showered, dressed, smoothed the blankets on the bed. A brief stop by my son’s room to wake him for the day tells me this morning is going to consist of breathlessly climbing the stairs more than once to get him and his sister rolling on their online courses. My daughter is still in isolation, so I merely open her door and holler in “time to get rollin’!” She rolls over and looks at me through slitted eyes. She murmurs something about not sleeping well and I know that she’s gonna need some real encouragement this morning.
I bound down the stairs and start some homemade biscuits for breakfast. My mama always made homemade biscuits for breakfast and the smell of them baking fills my kitchen with nostalgia and happy memories. I set out the butter to warm and jam and honey and skip around the kitchen a bit waiting for the beep beep beep of the oven timer to announce they are ready for consumption. When they come out, still warm and soft and flaky, I slice each one in half and place a pat a butter in the middle to melt, like my dad used to do.
I deliver my warm love to each of the members of our house…just like they like them. Grape jelly for my husband, honey for the kids, and for me…peach pepper jam. The biscuits are soft and melt in your mouth and I close my eyes and enjoy the moment.
Clamoring to be Visible 
Isn’t is funny how some things bring back that nostalgia and a feeling of normalcy. Unfortunately, this “new normal” doesn’t quite fit my model life that I have worked so hard to achieve and I struggle. Right now I am in a building usually bustling, full of laughter, and sometimes tears from the little people in my life. Today, there is only the echoing sound of silence. A fearful silence that has taken over so many of the places that I love. I think tonight, we will make biscuits with gravy for dinner and I will think of better times and cherish my family a little bit more. Thanks for the nostalgic reminder that I needed to get through this day.
Girrrl, I feel you. It’s a crazy thing that a little flour and baking powder would make such a difference in my outlook on the day. I am able to do some work from home, but my industry is completely shut down and has no idea what the “new normal” will look like when things open back up. I miss my peoples and the creativity of our daily work. Staying sane is an active practice for me these days. This writing helps, art helps, being with my family helps, but it’s still hard some days…on those days, I say biscuits and gravy are EXACTLY what the doctor ordered!