Day 32: The Daily

I get up, and I make coffee. I used to take it to my basement writing room, but now I’m enjoying it on the couch in the family room. Before quarantine, I didn’t spend much time in here. I’m taking care of this space better than I have in years – vacuuming it and dusting it every week. I’m even thinking about painting over the ceiling patch from last November, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I focus. Right now, this looks like some combination of reading the Bible, journaling, listening to a sermon/devotion, and praying. How long this takes varies, depending on the day before and what I understand about the day ahead.

I write – mostly for the blog. You know, I always wanted to write and post every day, and quarantine was the best and worst time to try this. “Best” because there’s a lot to process and writing is how I process, and “worst” because there’s not much going on in my world. I can’t rely on dramatic plot lines right now, so I’m honing my observation skills and trying new approaches for how to express what I see, hear, feel, and think. It’s been fun.

I go for a walk with 1-2 dogs, depending on where I’m going for the walk.

Some days, I shower. Other days, I throw on a hat and fleece. I’ve worn make-up once in the last 6 weeks. I’ve tended my eyebrows twice.

School time! Jess is independent in this, but Tommy and Ezra require supervision. Yes, there have been frustrations, but overall, I find it fascinating to see how they learn. They say there are 9 types of intelligence; Troy boys are a solid representation of 5.62. I’ll let you guess which ones.

Mid-afternoon is outside, lunch, and rest for the boys and university work for me. Evaluations won’t come until semester’s end, but until then, I’m assuming my students are completely charmed by the boys’ and dogs’ video-bombs.

After rest, it’s a wee bit more school + an excursion, sometimes around the neighborhood, sometimes to the woods, and last week to Graeter’s before we went to the woods! Mom, can we have a cone with sprinkles? Absolutely, my quarantine scholars. I had a double scoop of coconut chocolate chip in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone. Because that’s what teachers do.

Dinner time! I love dinners in and cooking every night. Yesterday was punjabi red beans and tonight is chicken and mushrooms in the cast-iron skillet. I don’t even mind the dishes because I listen to jams while I do it, and Matt takes charge of the kids.

In the evening it’s more meetings with students and by 9:30, I’m in bed with a book. Right now, it’s The Nightingale. Hat’s off to you, Kristin Hannah – this story has solid pacing.

Then, I fall asleep.