While I wouldn’t want this life forever, I am starting to frame it mentally as a long staycation, and despite the isolation and weirdness of it, I have made my peace with it. Especially when it’s sunny I feel peaceful. This entire event is still a generational, societal trauma (and turning point). I still can’t escape the sadness of it. Even a two-year-old can recognize that things aren’t normal. Ambrose mentions often that “people are sick” and that’s why the park is closed, and he told us yesterday that he’s scared to go to the doctor, and when he’s playing sometimes he sends his stuffed animals to the doctor. Just like other moments of difficulty in my life, it’s made me rethink some of my ideas about what I want in the future. I always thought we would be open to having three children, but after this happening, I think it will be no more than two. If anything like this ever happens again, I want to be sure we are prepared to cope emotionally and financially, and I think two children seems like a manageable number in any future state of emergency. Almost all my work has evaporated, and who knows when Rod’s industry will be hit hard? Also, we had talked so much about moving to a more urban area, specifically back to LA, but right now I’m so glad we live where we do. Overall I think we’ve become more cautious suddenly. We need to have the space in our lives to deal with this kind of thing should it ever happen again.
Submitted by Katina Mitchell, San Mateo County -San Carlos.
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series. The links to all four parts are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.