The trail we hiked over the weekend was called Roller Coaster. Sooo fitting for life right now.
After a nice weekend of hiking and letting the minis stay up too late, eat junk food, and getting no projects done, I'm choosing to begin the week with gratitude. I have a lot to be grateful for and I know later this week, the week I was to have a girls' weekend in Seattle and hiking the nearby National Parks, I'll be feeling less than grateful.
I've never been more thankful for the kid's teachers. Even as I homeschool, they are an email, message, phone call, or video chat away. I had a question last week about how to get my own child to explain what she was reading in her own words. Within minutes, her teacher sent me a few resources they use in the classroom and instantly my child began doing exactly what I wanted of her. They've taken their time to check on us and every other one of their students. I knew teachers were magic to begin with, but they seem to have gained even more over the last few weeks.
I've never been more thankful for technology because otherwise this time would be truly unbearable. Because of technology the minis can "see" their friends and have hour long chats, I can commiserate with friends over a glass of wine, there's a thing called virtual birthday parties now, we can work on school work while teachers can see exactly what their students are working on and when AND provide help easily when needed.
I've never been more thankful to the easily accessible hiking trails we have nearby. They're not National Park hiking good, but they provide a safe space to explore while social distancing. We've gotten to explore so many new trails in the last few weeks, trails we likely would have never gotten to if Corona never happened.
I've never been more thankful for food in our cupboards and a husband who willingly (but not always happily) goes to the grocery stores for me when delivery or pick ups haven't been an option. Just as important as the food in our cupboards, is the full storage bins of art supplies, party goods, unopened science kits, and new toys that have yet to be played with. It's like I was unknowingly planning for Corona every time I decided to "just grab" something at Dollar Tree or Michael's. Same with workbooks, puzzles, and games I've been stockpiling without reason.
I've never been more thankful to have space. Outdoor space to enjoy, play in, plant gardens in. Indoor space to turn into study areas, storage space, and room to clear my head when needed. As someone who used to roam the aisles of Target whenever I needed some space, having my own space to get away in has become quite important the last few weeks.
I'm thankful for the memories this time is building. We'll have some doozies out of these weeks upon weeks together at home. The best things in my life have come from doing things I never thought I'd do. I truly believe that at some point in life, I'll either look back at this time with tears in my eyes from laughing at the ridiculousness of it all or remember it fondly.
Not matter what, no matter how hard these weeks have been and no matter how hard the coming weeks will be, I know gratitude should be (and I'll truly work for it to be) my first feeling through it all.