Social Distancing Diaries: Day 2

Dear Diary, Today just feels weird. 

8:30am: We started the day watching the livestream of our church’s service. Yeah, it feels strange to worship in the living room, with only your family members, some still in pajamas. All of us trying to figure out if it’s ok to talk during the service. Someone asked for permission to use the bathroom.  Despite the weird-factor we still prayed, sang, and listened to an excellent sermon. 

 *Soapbox highlights from the sermon*

1. What takes us from diversity to division is the addition of contempt toward one another.

2. When encountering opinions different from your own, <sarcasm alert: Like that ever happens!> be confidently curious. Ask, “What led you to that view?” My commentary: this is how my journey into race issues began; I realized that if my brothers and sisters feel strongly about something, even if that thing is beyond my frame of reference or experience, I have an obligation to ask why they feel that way. Perhaps the stronger you feel distant from someone else position, the closer you need to listen. This is so hard.

3. Be compellingly meek. The word “meek” comes from the Greek root meaning “taming a wild stallion”. It is strength under control. It is not weakness.

4. Be courageously loving. Jesus commands us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Come back when you’ve mastered that one.

 Shout out to Pastor Adam Forry for the excellent words of wisdom!

11:45am: Eat when you’re hungry. I ate the last piece of leftover pizza, Cheetos, and 2 deviled eggs. Nary a vegetable in sight.

 Today feels weird because typically I try to live my Sundays a little different than I do the other days of the week. I try to do something that is “recreate” ational. Sabbath is for us to “recreate”. I try not to make Sunday the same old same old. But since all of my normal daily activities are suspended I feel freer every day to choose activities that I would normally postpone to the tyranny of the urgent. So, in a sense, maybe this indefinite period of time is an extended Sabbath. Hmm, isn’t that a change of perspective ?!

12:00pm:  Visited my parents next door.

1:00pm: I was home alone with Lily for most of the day while the rest of the family visited my in-laws. Lily has a cold <not the Corona virus> so we followed the Rules and kept her at home. She wanted to “make something.” She decided to make a hair scrunchy. I showed great generosity and let her use my sewing machine. I confess that I’m usually quite stingy with sharing my sewing machine. But with so much time at home the next few weeks I might just learn to share! 

2:00pm: The rest of the family braved the grocery store, again. It’s amazing how many things I can think of that we need when hubs announces he’s going to the grocery store! Still panicking that we’ll run out of food. Totally irrational fear since I need to exercise caution when opening my freezer lest I lose a toe to a falling Tupperware of frozen leftovers.

3:00pm: Went along with my friend Deb and her boys to fill her water jugs at the spring water station. Perhaps that violates the rules of social distancing, but sometimes we really need each other. Doctors and nurses do it…

5:00pm: Finally watched Frozen 2. Prefer Frozen 1. Haters back off.

Scrunchy sewing