“Once I learn to grow right where I’m planted, maybe that’s when life starts getting good.”—Emily Weisband (from the song “Getting Good” sung by Lauren Alaina)

March 13, 2020. I remember it so well because it was the last "normal" day I had. My kids went to a regular day of school, without social distancing or masks or virtual learning. I went about my day, went to yoga, did some errands, worked a bit. It was a day like any other, and it was lovely.

We went into that weekend with a sense of foreboding at what was to come. I remember doing our "lasts" of things: the indoor trampoline park, the indoor play space, dinner at a restaurant, playdates, socializing in person. We watched and waited to see what would happen. Would schools close? Would recommendations about being out in public change? Would we go into "lockdown" or "shelter in place"? Would we ever be able to find any toilet paper or Lysol again? Sorry, couldn’t resist.

We knew it was coming, we just didn't know when, or how bad it would be.

We had our answer by Sunday night. We watched as notifications of school closings came out, and finally we received the email that our kids' school would transition to "distance learning" beginning Monday. We had two days "off" for teachers to prepare, and then Wednesday we would pick up packets and start learning from home. I remember the predictions--we would be in distance learning for 2 weeks, or maybe up to 8 weeks. Shelter in place orders went into effect, businesses went remote and people started working at home, and for many of us our worlds became very small. We quite literally started living in a bubble.

We believed at the time that it would be short-lived. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that more than 6 months later we would find ourselves in much the same place. Granted, it's not as bad. We have adjusted. We wear masks and go out in an almost semi-normal way when the weather cooperates. At least some of us have our kids at school at least some of the time, some of us have returned to offices at least some of the time. We are able to socialize at least a little, often outdoors and often distanced, but we are socializing nonetheless. So it's not as bad as it was at the beginning.

Yet it persists, and we do still live in a bubble. While restrictions have loosened, they are still present. There are fewer places to go, fewer activities to keep us occupied, fewer events to attend. Many of us are bored, isolated, lonely. Many of us are juggling a lot--kids homeschooling or remote learning, spouses or partners working from home, working from home ourselves, and everything else that needs to be done.

As for many of us the weather begins to change with the seasons, we begin to anticipate a lot more time spent indoors, and therefore, a lot more time spent alone or with just our immediate families. We start to wonder, what will this winter be like?

I know for me it will not be like last time. If nothing else, I learned a lot in the 13 weeks between the start of the shelter in place order and the start of summer. I learned that the isolation is too much and not sustainable. I learned that the distance learning needs better planning on my part, and quite possibly a “pandemic cohort” of families with whom we can interact more directly. I learned that working from home needs its own time and space and better boundaries. And probably most importantly, I learned that I still have needs even when it's virtually impossible to find time or space to meet them. There’s more, but those are the highlights.

Having the summer months and the ability to get outside to do things like go to the beach, walk in the woods, have small backyard barbecues and visits gave me some perspective. My kids playing outside allowed me some time to find bits of myself again. I’ve learned and grown. As I anticipate whatever is coming our way with the change of seasons, the “second wave”, and the harsh reality that our lives will almost inevitably become more restricted and “smaller” again, I anticipate doing things a bit differently. It will definitely be different this time.

Join us here at Roots First for a group experience as we navigate our lives in “the Pandemic Bubble” and find greater organization, peace, connection, and happiness. Groups begin October 1.