Thoughts on a Normal Day in the Time of Coronavirus

From the essay: Let Me Hold You While I May by Mary Jean Irion



Today was a normal day...Patrick home from Spring Break, Caroline off to school, John off to work, dogs begging for a walk and me with work to do.

Dinner to make.
Chores to be done.
Emails to reply to.
Bills to pay.

It all feels very surreal as I know a tsunami of illness will soon be consuming my community and my country.

We can pretend that it's not coming...but with social media, we can allow ourselves a peek into what is happening in confined and locked down Italy, in China, in South Korea.

We get the notices that games are cancelled, meetings delayed, events postponed and
schools sure to be closing soon.

But, today, is a normal day.
Sunshine and spring breezes.

I don't know anymore than the average American...but I can feel the anxiety...the unsureness of the moment and I have student teachers to guide...and so I offer some thoughts.

This is the email that I sent to my student teachers this morning.

I hope it helps.

*****
We are all wondering what is going to happen in the next few weeks with our teaching program, the EdTPA and the coronavirus escalation.

It's a serious question that has no good answer.

So, today, we get to soak in the questions
that have no clear answer.

Not everyday is given to considering the hard questions of life...but today is one.

None of us have ever dealt with a pandemic before.

We don’t know how quickly it will spread, how much it will impact our health or the larger effect on our communities and vulnerable loved ones.

I have been in isolation before when my son Patrick was three years old and had leukemia.
He had zero detectable white blood cells and so we were quarantined for over 60 days...
just me and Patrick.

I was scared out of my mind that he would catch any and all terrible diseases (he did not!)...and I was mad about it and did not want to be quarantined at all.
I wanted to protest and pout.

Sometimes, it's a terrible thing to be an adult and that was one of those times.

Being quarantined was the safest thing to do...
and so we did it...
begrudgingly...
but we wanted more than just sitting at home.

We needed to be away from people.

But did we really have to stay cooped up inside?

The doctors just told us to stay away from people so I made the executive decision to take some adventures away from home...and away from people.
We got creative.

We got really good at finding empty parks, empty beaches, empty paths to walk slowly.
We took long drives and noticed the beauty just outside the window.
We danced and played and enjoyed our days.

It was during these 60 days that I developed this mantra:
Nothing is worth more than this day.

Our day, this day, is all we have...even if it is unknown or unexpectedly hard...
it is still a precious gift.

Don’t spend time worrying about the program...
we will find a way to have you earn your credential and get you ready to find a job.

Do spend time finding ways to support one another through this unexpected, weird time.

If you need a place to stay or a ride to somewhere or food or anything, I can help.

My daughter is a brand new nurse in the largest most critical care hospital in Oregon, so I am thinking of ways to support her and the people she works with...
if you have a good idea, let me know.

As with anything difficult, there will be amazing opportunities and revelations that we would never learn otherwise...
I’m curious to see those.

I believe that this time will provide a unique opportunity for us to grow our hearts bigger,
to become more generous,
to find a way to see ourselves in others.

It feels like perfect timing for that.
Sending love to all of us.

One of the favorite parts of my Normal Day: these guys!