Covid-19 Quarantine Life…From a Stay At Home Working Mama

Honestly not a lot in my daily life has changed for me.  I live the quarantine life on the regular, which I kind of like.  I am lucky enough to work from home, doing what I love and raising our daughter.  The panhandle isn’t having the craziness that our coastal Americans are having.  We have family and friends in mostly California and hearing about what is happening can be disheartening.  But slowly we see more and more things shutting down state by state, school by school, business by business.   Our Walmart has been wiped of essentials too.  People preparing for the worst, Walmart trying to keep all their shelves stocked all over the country. I am not going to lie, we stocked up on loads of diapers and some foods.  But really, toilet paper and wipes for the baby have been sold out for weeks at this point.

What a crazy time it is right now.  All I can say is, I have had feelings about this pandemic on all ends of the spectrum.  At first, I thought everyone was making a huge deal about the “new flu”, and then hearing rumors of our country going into martial law, it can really make your thoughts spiral.  I think it’s hitting me a little different now, being a mama and all.  I find myself tracking people hands and where they touch things and then hand them to me or touch something that is my daughters or that I know she will touch later…and then stick her hand in her mouth.   And with so many variables up in the air about this virus, its hard to set boundaries and find balance of what you think is safe or not safe for your family.  And trying to figure out how much toilet paper you will need to survive this thing is a whole other issue this country needs to get over.

New research is coming out daily about who is at risk, what surfaces the virus remains LIVE longest on, who this virus puts in the hospital, between that and the news media telling us what state in shutting down next, this leaves most of us gasping for air and something stable.

One minute, young people aren’t at risk, so they continue to meet and go out, the next day the research is out that its affecting them too.  One minute its only older people with respiratory issues, the next minute its anyone with a condition at all…which is like everyone in the US.  Which is sad but true.

I wanted to take a moment share some sites I have found useful, that I have found from my Mentor Dr. Sarah Duvall.  She shared recently about some information and sites she is using to track the effects and spread of the COVID-19 virus.

https://covid19info.live

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus 

This outbreak is causing so many businesses, small and big to close their doors.  It truly is heart breaking.  I can’t imagine being the owner of one of those businesses.

We are so lucky, anyone working in the virtual world, to be able to keep doing what we do.  The fitness world is being split.  Gym, studios, boutique workout spaces are shutting their doors and it breaks my heart.  The virtual world is getting hit in a few ways.  People are turning to virtual memberships, gyms, classes, training etc. which is great.  But with the flood of people and businesses getting shut down, there is a TON of free workouts being put out into the world, which does not help us virtual trainers.  Now I understand, I have been posting free workouts for years and LOVE to do it.  But its a hard argument to get people to pay for an app when there is so much FREE out there.  Plus people don’t have the disposable income anymore, if their job is at risk or they have already been sent home.

I do believe that we need to stay home, only leaving when it is essential.  Don’t sit down at restaurants, you are putting yourselves, families and the people working at risk. It isn’t worth it.

Everyone on the planet is feeling this. The fear and stress of it all is affecting each person, even if the virus isn’t. Everyone is struggling right now.  But I think we have been for a long time.  Getting lost in the busy busy everyday hustle.  Let this be your freaking wake up call.  Get healthy, get motivated, get your shit in order.

We have done a pretty good job as a collective at showing that we are poorly prepared for any kind of “unknown”.  We are literally scared shitless of our own shit that we are obsessed with hoarding and stock piling toilet paper. Stealing it from women walking with their baby in the cart, when she just braved that “unknown” by going to the store with her vulnerable child.  While in reality, a huge portion of the world has never had the luxury… and still they live.   Some are buying all the baby wipes, milk formula, baby tylenol and diapers…when they dont even have babies.  You are willing to steal food from children’s mouth…to what, have your cereal.  Its sickening.

We have been begging for a break, for time to spend at home with our partner, with our babies, start that book, begin our self care routine, pick up that hobby we loved to do, start singing, read that book, have time to meal prep and learn to cook, whatever you have been putting off.  Heres your chance.  There may be many weights on your shoulders right now.  They are heavy.

But the world is feeling this too.  This global pause is no coinincidence.  This is the eb and flow of the world, as she has always done it.  She was lit on fire to get our attention. To stop us in our tracks and we did not listen.  We looked for a second and then turned our cheek the other way.  And she has upped the ante now. We are seeing the effects of humanity on the environment with this quaratine, and what can happen if the world takes a step back and goes inward to rest and recoup.  Then so can the planet and the biodiversity that she has.  Animals are taking up their space while the busy hustle of commuter life is at a stand still in Italy.

“Many others have suggested we use this as a point of reflection when considering humanity’s relationship to the wider environment. Another Twitter user remarked: As bad as the coronavirus outbreak is, it’s really showing the effect humans have had on the environment. Wildlife has returned to previously traveled waters, even the water in Venice is now clean and clear. It’s giving the world a chance to breathe and repair.”” 1

I am not turning a blind eye to the people suffering, and families being affected by this.  I too have known fear and helplessness from the fear of losing a loved one or wanting to take their pain, whether it be physical, mental or emotional.  And even though we are going through our “social distancing’ we remain connected.  we remain reaching out, virtually or physically doing the good deeds for the more “at risk” groups of people, our neighbors, our friends. Because as much as we want to say that we going through this life alone, or that we don’t need anyone.  This epidemic is a true reflection of just how much we need each other.  We all depend on each other.

This is the time that will leave a mark and define this generation.  The millilenials are not the problem, we are not young and immune.  We are pros at this virtual business and social distance connectedness thing and we have already been working from home.  We are stricken with fear and anxiety because this is the first epidemic we have been through as a collective and its not ‘like the flu” and we are begging our parents, grandparents and people older than us to stay home, even though “they have been through worse, and played in the dirt”.  This is the story we will tell our children. Children being born during this time will be told about how they were brought into the world during the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. And how hard their parents tried to keep them safe and away from their worst fear.

There are many dates and events being canceled.  Weddings, music and sports, baby showers, birthday parties, couples trying to conceive.  There are also people that are required to go to the one place all of us are trying to avoid.  Nurses and Dr.s working the front lines, police and firefighters still doing what they swore to do.  The world is being slowed down, but it has not stopped.  Truckers, grocery clerks, delivery and postal workers are still doing their jobs so that you can get the things you need or so you can stay home to do your part in stopping this virus.

We can not emerge from this isolation unchanged and go back to our old ways.  We are being forced to slow the heck down.  We need to hold each other more.  Spend more time on the floor with our kids.  Spend more time hugging our partner. Spend more time doing the thing that lights us up.  The world literally needs YOUR LIGHT right now.  When shit hits the fan, we can not think about shitting…and stock piling toilet paper.  When shit hits the fan, we have to think about family, friends, neighbors, PEOPLE…THE PLANET.  Think about this. The entire world has one common enemy right now.  One thing we are fighting together. Me as a mother, know exactly the worry that another mother has right now, about this virus affecting her family.  About running out of formula, diapers, tylenol, medications, wipes, food.  About her baby, about our baby, catching it, even though ‘they said’ it isn’t affecting babies.

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. Reach out to another Mama and ask her if she has everything she NEEDS for her babies. And help where her where you can.

We rise and come out of this.  We always do.  I am hoping that this will shake us, all of us, to the core.  Wake us up to the mouse wheel we have been on.  We need to stop only worrying about what is happening in our own backyard.  This PLANET is all of OUR backyards.  We are all connected.  Collectively we need to get healthy, moving, focused, compassionate, and united.

From my backyard, with my mocha and my buggy girl.  Stay home, stay safe, stay sanitized.