Photo:
Kids riding bikes in their neighborhood. Credit: JiaYing Grygiel
My husband is in the news business and he's all doom and gloom these days. And how could he not be? Everyone is. With all of us stuck at home, I feel compelled to provide a counterbalance to the fear and anxiety: I'm trying to create some calm and stability for my kids. (The swirling anxiety affects all ages, for sure.)
We're lucky (for now) to be healthy, housed and able to hunker down at home. Acknowledging my good fortune to have work I already do from home, and with deep appreciation for those health-care workers, grocery workers and delivery folks helping all of us survive, I jotted down a list of things I'm grateful for right now.
1. More time with the kids.
2. No head lice! Don’t ask me how I know.
3. For the first time since September, no drippy noses.
4. Saving money with our in-home hair salon. Now that all the barbershops are closed, I finally get to cut my husband’s hair! (It's possible I'm more excited about this than he is.)
5. Saving money by not eating out as much.
6. Never thought I’d see the day when Maneki is doing takeout and Canlis is doing delivery. Now these iconic Seattle restaurants are almost within my reach.
7. Scratch number 5. The takeout is good, it's helping local restaurants and I don't have to cook dinner!
8. It's a sunny spring in Seattle, the flowers are beautiful and the kids are getting lots of outside play time (sorry, people with allergies).
9. Not paying for preschool.
10. Watching my kids’ creativity blossom outside of school.
11. No commute. Less traffic, less pollution. Saving money on gas and parking.
12. Sleeping in (a little) and not having to pack lunches!
13. Forget FOMO: No one else is doing anything either. I'm just sheltering in place with a stash of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
14. No longer looking like a weirdo for using a paper towel to touch the faucet and doorknob in public restrooms. I'm one of the masses now!
15. Companies figuring out ways to have people work remotely.
16. Having time to weed the lawn (this one is a "maybe").
17. Free trials to every online class under the sun: Workouts, music lessons, read-a-longs, you name it. And free Ivy League classes for the super-motivated. That's what I call no-guilt screen time.
18. PJs all day for the win!
