Finding my groove

08 April 2020


I wonder how many of you were hearing about the news from China back at the beginning of the year and feeling that it seem so far away, perhaps you felt like me that it could never come our way, could it?  We are all experiencing the strangeness of these times aren't we.  It is so easy to forget this when we are all isolated in our homes.

The news over the last few months has made it feel like the world is slowly unraveling, even with words and pictures it is hard to fathom events that are taking place hundreds of miles away whilst our lives continue as normal but now that most of the world is experiencing this together it feels like it is starting to become undone.

Any major change that we make in our lives is usually given considerable thought to, weighing up the possible effects, we take the time to process it, time that helps us to absorb that change into our lives. Around eleven years ago I walked out of my place of work for what I knew would be the last time, I was pregnant with my second child and was unsure what my days would be like going into the future.  Up until then my life had been defined by education or work, it is what gave shape to my weeks, my days, now I would be home all day, everyday with both my children.  I had time to consider the impact of this, and whilst I couldn't envisage how our days might look, at the very least I had had the time to give this some thought.  Now all our lives have been unexpectedly turned inside out and upside down by events that we never thought would reach our individual shores.  We have had changes to our lives imposed on us, that is never easy to stomach even when we know it is for the best.

We could resist, get angry, feel negative.  It is not going to be easy rarely leaving the house, not being able to connect with people who are not living with you, for weeks on end.  But is this really a good use of our energy?  We like to feel that we know when the end will come don't we, it is incredibly hard not knowing when this will be.  We are not in control.

As my weekly rhythm got slowly whittled down from lots of activities to none over the course of a few days it felt like it was slipping away like a receding tide  How on earth was I, were we, going to manage at home, together for weeks on end.  I knew that I could get angry over what was happening and the effect that was having on our lives, letting the negative feelings in to take hold, I also knew that this was not a good use of my energies.  I had to let this happen to enable me to process what these changes meant to our lives and how I could feel connected to them to start the process of looking forward and thinking about a new rhythm for us all.  I was safe at home, not stuck.

So, with a barrier that I had to learn to live it was time to give thought to a different direction one that revolved completely around the home.  I knew that the children, Alice in particular, were feeling rather confused and upset at this sudden turn of events.  She is a highly social child who loves being in the company of her friends as much as possible.  The experience of staying connected with a dear friend of hers who left our shores last year to move to a new life in a new country suddenly became rather invaluable.  She did not want to lose that connection and they had been having regular video play dates for the past few months.  Video calls are not everyones cup of tea but they are definitely hers and her experience of them made the transition  to connecting with all her friends that way a much easier one to travel.

Having spent much of my time over the past week or so ensuring the the children were coping with this new way of spending their days I realise that I have given no thought to where that left me.  Initially I was surprised at how busy I continued to be, there was a part of me that relished the thought of being at home all the time, I could now get on with some of those jobs I never seem to have the time for.  But it is not really surprising that I am busy, the jobs that fill my time are the ones that make our house tick along.  Keeping the house clean, keeping us all fed.

I spent the early days absorbed in these jobs, enjoying the comfort of them, their familiarity. It is difficult to know what day of the week it is when all the things that anchor your days have drifted away.  I am glad of my housework routine and my meal planning right now, which are both giving me new anchors to my days.  I have come to love being able to totally focus on cooking a meal rather than trying to do several other jobs at the same time.  I downloaded an audiobook to my phone and started listening to it whilst I was cooking, it was such a pleasure, a new experience for me to have the time.  It was soothing to listen to whilst I created a meal.  I got so absorbed in the story that one evening I sat down to eat with the rest of the family and completely forgot that I was still listening!

Slowly but surely the dust of change is settling.  We are finding our way into beating a new rhythm and seeing this time as an opportunity.  We have time for focusing in on each other, time for individual projects, time for our daily exercise. We are keeping at our learning in ways that we can, our French time is now watching videos on YouTube, our new sketchbook arrived this week so we can start a new Nature Journal, we have been sewing, knitting, creating things with wood, building bicycle wheels from scratch and tending to the garden.  My seed order arrived and I have been busy burying them in the soil.

I found myself worrying that I won't want to restart all our activities when the time comes but that is not a good use of my energy.  I am living in the present not the future and although it is good to think ahead that is not something I could be usefully doing right now.

I wonder how you are all finding ways to fill you time right now?

28 comments:

  1. I think keeping things in perspective and realising that this time will pass helps. We don't know how long we'll have to stay home, but making the most of our time definitely helps. I'm sure that once this is all over, there are things which we'll miss about it, though we don't realise that now. It definitely helps that the weather's so nice at the moment, it means that we're able to get out for our daily walk or run, and out in our gardens too. I think it will be much harder if the weather turns.

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    1. I too am glad that the weather is so good, it does make a difference doesn't it. I am loving spending time in the garden every day.

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  2. Beautiful words. We all have much to contemplate at present. I’ve been thinking pretty much what Jo has said - the uncertainty of not knowing how long this will last and how it will develop is difficult.

    I stood in a long queue outside the supermarket last week - maybe 20 - 25 minutes waiting for my turn to go in. It was fairly mild, sunny, I just stood and people watched. But at a different time of year I have battled to walk across that same car park with horizontal wind and rain almost strong enough to take you off your feet. Standing in that grocery line will be much harder if we are still distancing later in the year.

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    1. Thank you Jayne. I am trying not to think about the how long, it is hard not to though isn't it? I hope that we are not still social distancing in the colder months, standing waiting to go inside the supermarket would be horrendous!

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  3. Good to hear that you are getting your routines sorted. I am still finding that I am wasting time messing about with this and that and not really achieving much. None of the creativity, reading and listening mentioned in "And the people stayed home" by Kitty O'Meara but having eventually found a way to get food delivered I am feeling more positive and am hopeful that I will eventually get a routine going if only so I know what day it is!! Lovely to read your thoughtul posts.

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    1. I am glad to hear that you have found a way to get your food delivered. I hope you manage to get a routine going.

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  4. I am coping well - having gone back to the "me" that moved here to Wales over 30 years ago now. Ican be more mindful, a job doesn't HAVE to be done this minute, it can now wait - who is going to visit and notice I've not tidied the kitchen or hall? We are busy busy busy in the garden, extending the vegetable plot and soft fruit area. Rest times involve a book and sitting in the sunshine, or working on a sewing project which had been sidelined.

    I'm back making wine again now, and instead of a breadmaker loaf, I let the dough rise in there until it's ready, then shape it and cook it in the oven - crusty loaves are great.



    We are so very fortunate to live in a beautiful Welsh river valley, with no near neighbours, surrounded by our own 5 1/2 acres of land, and still fit enough to garden and walk locally. Plus we have our eldest daughter living back home again, which has proved to be so helpful. We keep in touch with her brother and sister by phone, Facebook messenger and Skype.

    I think, for us here, we will be in this lockdown situation until a vaccine is available as I am in the high risk Self Shield group due to my chronic severe asthma. My husband's age is against him as he's heading for 80. Still, we have plenty to get on with here and will NEVER run out of books to read, that's for sure!!

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    1. Wow it all sounds wonderful where you live. How wonderful to have such a good sized plot of land, I would love to have 5 acres! I am not surprised you are busy in the garden!

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  5. Wise words indeed. Human Beings are adaptable even though change is sometimes difficult. This new 'normal' will perhaps give us the opportunity to focus on what is really important to us.
    I am focusing on the little things to be thankful for - bird song, weather, nature, being healthy, staying safe. I am lucky that I have built up a huge stash of all things crafting ( I knew there was a good reason to collect it all!) which will keep me occupied. I am also thankful for blogging and for youtube videos - there is a whole world of creativity at my fingertips and I am often disappearing down the rabbithole of crafting videos. I am thankful too for the internet and the phone - for being able to stay in touch with family and friends.
    Alongside, of course, there are negatives which can't be ignored - families changed forever, businesses unable to stay open, but there are also communities helping each other out, which may not have happened prior to this.
    Keep safe
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. It sounds like you have lots of ways to keep you busy whilst at home. I look forward to reading all about them on your blog!

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  6. I'm getting much better at accepting this as the new normal, I only get really stressed out when I go grocery shopping one time a week, it's not fun anymore and frequently there are many many bare shelves. I'm looking forward to the day when they lift some of the restrictions so people will quit panic buying like crazy.

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    1. Shopping is not fun anymore is it. Panic buying seems to have stopped here, thankfully, but the prices have gone up considerably which is not surprising really.

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  7. Like you we are trying to focus on the day to day activities and not worry too much about the things that are out of our control.

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    1. Sounds like a good plan Gina. It is hard not to worry but you are right when things are out of our control there is little use in worrying about them.

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  8. Living alone is the hardest part of these strange times. Missing my children and grandchildren but enjoying the sunshine and the garden and taking each day as it comes with no moaning.

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    1. It must be so hard living along right now. I do hope that you have ways and means of connecting with your family and friends even though I know that is not quite the same as seeing people face to face.

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  9. As you say so many opportunities and I think that is key to getting through this. Experiencing a different side of life will be quite enlightening I suspect for all of us in some way.
    I am so thankful that I have someone here with me to help me through this it must be so much harder for those like Sue above me here and the elderly and alone like my mum. Stay safe and well x

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    1. Yes is it much easier to get through this with company isn't it. We have been in touch with my mother in law a lot more than usual as she lives alone. I do hope that experiencing things differently will mean changes to the way we all go about our lives in the future.

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  10. I think a quiet acceptance is the best way of getting through each day. As someone who quite likes some structure to my weeks it's the unknown I'm finding a little unsettling. Home schooling begins again next week and I will be back at work on Monday, so I've only just got used to one way of being, for it all to change again. I'm just so very grateful for my garden and that I can enjoy getting out for a walk each day. X

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    1. Quiet acceptance, yes I like that. I do hope that home schooling is going ok for you and Lily, it is a big change for you both.

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  11. Everything has changed, there are good things appearing amongst the black clouds that float through the news every day. I find not talking to people a strange experience, but I have always been a solitary person in my head, so chatter quite happily to Lucy the dog, and Paul, although he is not here, will always be part of my thoughts.

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    1. Everything has changed indeed, and I hold onto the hope that some of the changes might become permanent. I am glad to hear that you chatter in your head, I do that too!

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  12. Loved reading your thoughts. I don't have a problem staying home as I could happily spend every second outdoors and gardening with my animals and the wildlife. It's good this happened in the summer though, I think it would be harder to deal with if it was winter. It's the shopping part that bothers me, I feel it's almost life or death visiting a supermarket.xxx

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    1. Thank you. Shopping has turned into a strange experience hasn't it. I do hope this doesn't continue into the autumn and winter, I don't fancy queuing to shop then!

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  13. We were just talking today about how we've now settled into a new rhythm. When school break is over, homeschooling will perhaps change that again but whatever patterns to our day emerge, I feel settled and enjoying home and garden very much. MegXx

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    1. I am glad to hear that you have settled into a new rhythm, it helps the day tick along doesn't it?

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  14. April 19, 2020

    I began early preparation, for this World Wide Horror. Way back, when it was maybe, "Just in case." But that "Just in case," soon became very, very Wise. And my Dear Daughter-in-Law next door, and I, soon learned of our Wisdom. When silly people, began to Wake Up, and Notice, and storm stores for supplies.... We knew, we had been Right. -smile-

    Luckily, we always live, "at home." Much, much more, than so many others. So "The New Normal" is not such a wrench for us, as for all those people. And we recognize this!

    Perhaps something positive, can come out of the World Wide Horror. The fact, that when needed, human beings can "put on their big girl/boy panties," and cope.

    What an amazing fact!!!!!!!!

    In this Age of -moan-moan-moan- Me, Me, Me. And nothing is my Fault. It's your Fault! And of I am very, very fragile. A Tiny Poof of Censure, can blow me over!!!! -moan-moan-moan-

    Perhaps all those "All So Fragile People," will see, that other folks, can cope.

    And maybe, just maybe, when no one is paying as much attention to their -moaning-, they will learn that deep inside, they too, have a lot more guts, than they have been told.

    Thank you so much,
    for your sweet comment,
    on "Clara."
    πŸŒΈπŸ’œπŸŒΈπŸ’œπŸŒΈπŸ’œπŸŒΈ

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  15. It's so true that many of us have been wondering how all of this will impact our children, not thinking about the impact on ourselves till a later stage. It sounds like you have found a lovely new rhythm and I'm sure this enforced slowing down and taking stock is going to be so good for us collectively, hard as it is initially.

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