Documenting 2020

What a strange place we find ourselves in - home. Every day.

We are not venturing far... walks down the street to the oval to run all our sillies out, then back home, up the hill to play and learn.
People of the World are retreating and bunkering down at home while Mother Nature flourishes all around us. There are hundreds of butterflies about, like I've never seen before and the air feels cleaner and clear. We rise each day without rush or scurry - nowhere to be, but here. We sip tea and eat toast with peanut butter and banana and we learn in our makeshift 'classroom' in the study. The kids sit on screens for longer than I would like, but in equal parts we are outdoors breathing in the fresh air and soaking up any spot of sunshine.
This is not how I thought this year would be. And helping my kids with school at home is definitely not how I thought it would be. But I find I am okay with not going places or seeing too many people - Strangely and unexpectedly I am making more connections with people than I think I ever have before. There is an odd comfort in knowing that the entire world, no person exempt, is facing the same enemy. We keep the TV turned off as news paints a grim picture I don't want my children to see (or hear). The children are curious and ask questions about what is going on and we have honest but simple discussions regarding the things that are happening in the world right now.
I am beginning to see the uniqueness of this situation, the impact and the history that this will one day become. Covid19 will be one of those words or phrases we won't ever forget.
In the meantime I will try to cherish these (sometimes difficult) days at home and I'll keep reminding myself to go gently, stay connected, and to be kind to myself in light of all the changes we've made and all the unknowns we are yet to face.