I woke up early Sunday morning to make a quick trip to the grocery store ahead of the throngs of hoarders, panickers and just plain I don’t carers, and somehow it felt a bit like suiting up for battle. In these days of Corona life, careful thought and planning goes into executing the safest route, armoring up for the campaign, planning an escape route and hitting the extraction point for all clothing, shoes and masks used in the simplest of activities. 

Here in the Midwest, we haven’t been “staying at home” as long as the hardest hit coastal areas of our country, but after a full week of solitude, home schooling and working from home, this little extrovert is already climbing the walls. Thankfully the weather cooperated for the second half of the week and we were able to spend some quality time outdoors. I have never been more thankful for three acres in my entire life!

It’s as if each little family lives in their very own snow globe (minus the snow, thankfully) and life is going on as normal within the confines of their personal bubbles. We eat, sleep, learn, garden, craft, entertain and play all within our very own designated space. Every now and then we get a reprieve, but that’s not even much fun these days because it’s mask on, wipes in hand, in, out, sanitize and back into my bubble. Not that I don’t love my bubble and all my people in it but, wow, what a dramatic change it all has been. 

In an effort to embrace our new, and hopefully temporary, normal we used this beautiful weekend for some regular spring activities. My husband cleaned out the garage while I crafted and we ventured as far as the curbside flowerbed to weed, mulch and tidy around the sprigs of green quickly popping up through the ground. I also cleared brush with my husband’s new battery-powered trimmer, which he thinks I might have enjoyed a bit too much. I did! In addition, we planned a new fence for the garden, pulled out garden hoses, repaired the power washer, discovered a bird nest in the tree house, sidewalk chalked the driveway, cleaned the chicken coop and even found time to cook burgers on the grill. 

Somehow when I put it all on paper, it seemed like a pretty awesome and productive weekend, even without the draw of shopping, movies, dining out and seeing friends. As the days grow into weeks, I hope that I will quickly come to appreciate the simple things in my life and be more thankful for all the blessings, big and small; but perhaps most of all, I hope I learn to “be still” and to live contently within the stillness.