Nothing like trying to relax in a comforting place away from home!
Made this little quickie the other day. I think that as soon as it's pretty much safe to do so, I am going to book a night or two with the GF in a nice hotel, and just RELAX! Maybe go swimming in their pool, and hit the hot tub. Grab a nice dinner at a good restaurant, and forget about these rough times. And I hope that everyone that reads this posting has the resources to do the same thing.
I worry every day that one of us is going to do something or go somewhere that will infect us, and hurt someone we love dearly. It's what so hard about being "essential" even though we don't think either of us qualifies in any way for that designation. But still we soldier on, because the alternative of not earning a paycheck either, also puts us in a bad situation. We do it for ourselves to have that slim margin of comfort in our lives, and because I still want to support my daughter who is also in a hard hit industry, and her job is tenuous at best for this moment. He boyfriend was laid off two days ago, and is going to try to find something of a temp position in a warehouse that hopefully will be able to use him until his old position opens back up. The way they designated him, he won't (well, we shall see about this!) be able to collect unemployment. Uggh.
But my point to all this is, if you have young kids at home, PLEASE don't let this be a strain on their formative years. Do everything you can to make staying at home fun, and don't let your stress levels impact their psyche. There are so many resources out there to keep them occupied, and you must stimulate them and let them have their downtime too.
Like Mister Rogers, I never appreciated Bob Ross until I was in my early 20's. It could be that they were both pretty omnipresent, but that gentle nature and soothing manner made them both anathema to my teenage REBELLIOUS EXTREME years on this planet. But during my turbulent early 20's, they were an oasis of stability that never failed to soothe me, especially when my daughter came along. That ADHD child could barely keep focused for more than 5 minutes, unless Mister Rogers or Bob Ross was keeping her compan. It was a minor miracle, but of course they were the antidote to over-stimulation. I'm so sad that they are both gone, and yes, the room is very dusty right now, as my eyes are watering while watching this video.
I recommend pulling up some episodes on Youtube or PBS.org. I would also suggest for slightly older kids some shows like History Detectives (age 12+) and Antiques Roadhouse (8+), which could foster the collecting bug, and show how old things can still have value. Another great show, though perhaps some of the data is now obsolete, is Scientific American Frontiers hosted by Alan Alda. It's another show that my daughter enjoyed immensely. I see that it is on Amazon Prime, and I bet you could find it elsewhere if you search it out.
Hope you and your loved ones are doing well through all this unpleasantness. I want everyone to be safe and sound so that all of us can be our kinky, happy-go-lucky selves again real soon! Leave comments on this blog exclusive, and feel free to talk about some of your favorite childhood memories . I wouldn't mind hearing about them at all! Something silly, something life changing, or just a tiny moment that made a big difference to you back when things were so much more innocent!
Or if you'd rather not do that, how about your big plans for when the world becomes normalized again .. hopefully sooner rather than later!