Flashing Back

Author's note, this was written in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social distancing is all well and good but some of us still have to go to work.

I do not have a job that can be done from home. Sadly.

But hey, you know what? I’m lucky I have a job that I’m still able to do during this time of crisis.

Alyssa came home from work on Sunday, March 15th and said that the governor of Ohio had declared that all restaurants and bars were to close. She did say that her managers had said that if employees were scheduled to work, they should still show up, they could clean, help with the attached convenience store and the drive-thru would still be open and food would need to be prepared for that.

So.

Walmart was out of potatoes and ramen; and, obviously, toilet paper. Meier, located less than a mile from Walmart, had plenty of potatoes, 15 packages of beef ramen and some toilet paper. They were limiting the amount of toilet paper each person was allowed to buy, but that was understandable.

We didn’t even need toilet paper. But we did need potatoes and ramen.

Speaking of ramen, I get that with kids home from school for at least three weeks, we all have to feed them as conveniently and cheaply as possible. I mean, that’s actually why I was even looking for it. It’s one of the few foods that Olivia will eat with minimal nagging.

We decided that this first week off school is going to be treated as spring break since that was the original schedule.

But the following weeks, ugh. I don’t envy Tom and yet, I kind of do. He’s going to have to police screen time and make sure that Olivia does actual school work while she’s off during these coming weeks. I pointed out that we have her daily scheduled posted on our fridge. She needs to adhere to that, even if it’s a loose adherence. I suggested that she try and keep to the schedule at least half way. As in, if, when she’s in school she’d do math for 40 minutes, at home she should do 20 minutes.

Recess! Get that child outside. She can’t be allowed to sit on her butt for twelve to fifteen hours a day while she’s home from school. She needs to get outside and run, or just sit and let the wind blow off the germs.

She has gym two days a week. I think Tom could very well institute a PE period at home. In fact, I think he’d be good at this.

Alyssa could help Liv with the other ‘specials’ which include art, music, and technology.

I’m just rambling here but these are scary times. I’ve read enough apocalyptic fiction to know that the world can go to hell overnight. But I also know that we have a lot of precautions being implemented so that doesn’t happen.

We’re still going to the eye doctor and the dentist. We’re still going to the grocery store. We’ll go through the drive-thru for food because that’s the only option these days and that’s okay.

Let’s all do what we can to remove the panic while still keeping our distance and not gathering in crowded areas.

Olivia’s hands are chapped from over-washing but these days, is there any such thing? I’ve slathered her hands with Mary Kay satin hands, a very waxy substance that helps her skin retain its own natural moisture.

And on that note…