The Pandemic & Our Seedlings

We’ve just started our fourth week in quarantine. We’re going on a month of isolation. A couple of days before the decision was made to close my children’s school, I was in parent teacher conferences with their teachers. Roman’s teacher asked me if we had a computer and internet service in our house in case it became necessary to move to online learning. It was a jarring thought. It made my stomach turn. But then I brushed it off. “That won’t really happen,” I thought. “It just can’t. That’s not the real world.”

I never imagined that any of this was possible–something that would impact the entire world in such a profound way. Even things like war and famine, though their reaches are devastating and vast, this feels more sweeping and impactful than anything that has happened in my parents lifetime or even my grandparents’ lifetimes. The only things that I can think of that register on this scale are the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu, the latter which impacted my great grandmother who lost two brothers to that pandemic.

There have been so many things in my life, things that I never planned for or expected, times when the rug was pulled out from under my feet. But this is different, everyone has had the rug pulled out from under their feet. The whole globe. All at once. And we’re all sitting flat on our asses.

I shared on my Instagram today that I feel sad for my children. Roman misses his boy scout meetings more than anything else. When he told me that the other day it split my heart. Feeling like things are out of my control has always been difficult for me, and this is no exception. I just want to “make it right” for him, but I know that–right now–I cannot. So I am leaning into surrender and filling in whatever gaps we find with extra love, because I know that this, too, is a gift; even in the moments when that’s hard to see. Read more for additional information about the Coronavirus.

The negative consequences of this pandemic are obvious, but the positive effects are there, too, if we look for them. Mother Nature is getting a change to catch her breath in a way that would have otherwise been impossible. People are learning the value of their relationships. Parents are coming to appreciate their childrens’ teachers in an entirely different light. There are so many things that we will never take for granted again, like hugs, handshakes, visits to a favorite store just because, eating in a restaurant, children playing on a playground, parties, funerals…

I pray that these times make us stronger, wiser, more grateful, and more mindful. Focusing on the light that might come from the darkness, this is how we will survive.

This post was initially going to be another update about our seedlings and our garden plans, but like the rest of us, I’ve had a lot on my mind. I still want to talk about the garden though because now, more than ever, I am so grateful for the ability to put seeds into the earth and to witness the magic that transpires as they grow. Here are some snaps from the day that we started our seedlings, the day that J. dug out the beds for our expanded vegetable garden, and some shots of the seedlings from this morning. What’s truly amazing is that I’ve just taken a look at them and they’ve grown and changed so much just over the course of the day. It’s seriously magical how quickly they grow and change.

Be safe and well, sweet friends. This, too, shall pass.