Stay at home day: #ILostCount
I saw a meme joking that there are currently three days of the week: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I can so relate!
Since we’ve been under stay-at- home orders, I have to look at my phone or television to know the date. Most days for my family have the same flow; we sleep, eat, work, have family time, go to bed late, repeat.
My family’s last major outing was to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. My son was amazed at the bull riders and loved the animals. After watching the show, we ate corn dogs and funnel cakes and played a few of the carnival games. This was supposed to be the first fun outing for spring break. Next on our list was a trip to San Antonio. Then we found out there were a few cases of COVID-19 there. At that time, we were in the beginning stages of learning about the virus. We still decided to change our plans and booked a room in a downtown Houston hotel for a fun staycation. But as we heard of major events like the rodeo canceling and several more cases of coronavirus, we stayed home.
Texas issues Stay at Home Orders
As I’ve learned more about coronavirus, I’ve prayed so much for our world. I’ve prayed for the doctors, nurses, scientists, other medical professionals, essential workers, leaders, those who have COVID-19 and their loved ones.
I’ve only been out of the house to get food and take short walks. It’s been about a month since I’ve been homeschooling my son. While I have enjoyed this time with him so much, I recognize that is a huge adjustment for him. He’s used to having friends over and having a better social calendar than his parents. I’ve tried to balance fun with learning because I know he misses his friends and teachers.
Last Wednesday, I woke up and felt sad. I tried ignoring my feelings. I went about my new routine of homeschooling and being in the house most of the day. I did a good job hiding my emotions from my son, but I couldn’t ignore that I didn’t feel like myself. Later in the day, the news was on and I realized the source of my sadness. I was overwhelmed from hearing of people suffering from COVID-19, people defiant about social distancing, people who couldn’t get tested, people who were losing jobs, businesses and their loved ones, and the large number of people who were predicted to die from COVID-19.
I felt helpless. I felt anxious. I was stressed. I cried. I turned off the news for the rest of the day. And not just the news but I refused to get on social media or check my favorite blogs that day.
So, I turned to God because even though I don’t have the answers, I know that He hears our prayers. When I find myself worrying or feeling overwhelmed, I acknowledge my feelings and make changes. I’m staying informed by watching the news and reading information from various sources, but I’ve learned to monitor how much information I take in at one time. I balance it out with reading other topics and finding things that make me laugh, smile and feel optimistic.
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I’m praying that we’ll all stay safe and healthy. How are you doing?
xo
Lamesha