I’m a REALLY social person. I’m a hugger. I generally greet all of my friends and tell them goodbye with a hug. If you know me you know that about me. I normally have a minimum of 2-3 lunch dates a week including one with my Mom. I normally see her 3-4 times a week. Social distancing is hard for me. I mean really hard. But I have decided to stop counting the days.
Social Distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. Right now we are hearing the word social distancing daily. So what does it mean? It is to provide the reduction of human social interaction in an effort to prevent the spread of infectious disease. So it makes sense that we have been asked to social distance does it? That doesn't mean it is easy.
Being socially distant from friends and family isn’t easy for me BUT it is what MUST be done.
It isn't hard for me not to go out in public because I am used to that during the flu season however not seeing my friends and family face to face is really difficult. I mean it has brought me to tears difficult. However, that doesn't make me stop doing it. I have been social distancing now for twenty something days and the next day doesn't come any easier for me. However I decided around day 15 to stop counting the days.
Right now, I spend a lot of time texting and Facebook messaging with friends and family. I am actually finding myself connecting to a lot of friends from my past through this trial. I have made and received phone calls, Face Timed friends, I’m leading a zoom Bible study, have mailed cards, have given air hugs from 6 feet to my sweet cousin Kennedy and had a self distancing visit from at least 8 feet with my parents.
We did visit my parents from a distance. It had been 12 days since I had seen my Mom face to face when this was taken. This is social distancing. We decided to have a visit from afar. It is so important to protect yourself and the ones you love most. I look forward to when this quarantine ends but for now this made my heart happy.
What I am doing more of?
I spend time with my teens talking to them, which never happens but they coming to me to talk! We are playing games and watching movies as a family every night. We have family dinner together every single night. We are doing crafts, playing with the dogs and just making the most of the time together.
We no longer count the days. We make the most of them. This is what I encourage each of you to do too! Don't count down but rather just let the days pass and enjoy them. I am enjoying a clean and organized house. I have given away bags and bags of items to friends and family with random pick ups from my front porch paying forward items that we no longer need. I am enjoying hearing the bids chirp when I walk the dogs. I am enjoying the time with my teens that I wouldn't normally get. I am enjoying the long conversations with my husband each night after we wrap up family time.
I am missing my parents like crazy. But I stopped counting the days. I am making the most of them. My hope is that when this ends and it will eventually come to an end that we are a little better. We stop taking things for granted and that we don't start the bad habits back and we keep the simpler way of living instead. I believe we will come out of this experience with many lessons that we learned in the hard. So my challenge to each of you is not to isolate yourself socially and to stop counting the days.
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Melissa is a football and soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 24 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
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