Coping With Quarantine
The coronavirus pandemic has completely disrupted my work-life balance. As a principal, I thoroughly enjoy my work. Engaging with families, supporting staff, and seeing students thrive are the things that make the education profession so incredibly fulfilling. As a mother, every moment spent with my girls is a blessing. From watching them smile in their sleep to answering all of their “Mommy, why” questions, being a mother brings me so much joy. [As I’m writing, the little one just woke up, “Good morning, Mommy,” in her gooey sweet voice. Love!]
In an ideal world, juggling the responsibilities of these two roles is exciting - just the right amount of challenge and reward. Needless to say, the world, in its current state, is not ideal and I am struggling to perform either role with any measurable efficiency or effectiveness. Ok, I’m being a bit dramatic, but I feel like I’m in someone's low-budget short film right now.
Living a life in quarantine for 6 weeks and counting takes a tremendous amount of adjustment. Initially, we were told that this situation would be more temporary than it has turned out to be. Going from a 3-week stay-at-home order to an indefinite stay-6-feet-away-and-wear-a-mask-everywhere-you-go mandate is taxing my mental and physical well-being. I’m having a torrid affair with wine, Netflix and heavily carb-ladened meals. They’ve become the bad boys my mother told me to stay away from, but couldn’t because I loved the idea of dipping my toe into that thug life knowing that I could step away at any time.
Well, my bad boys must love thick girls because, in the last month, I’ve gained 6 pounds. It may not seem like much, but 6 pounds on a little person is a lot. I get winded when I walk up a flight of stairs too fast and I’m drinking a glass a wine a day. With the exception of my college days, I have never drank so much. Remember, the big jug of Carlo Rossi and Boone’s Strawberry Hill? [smiling] My more mature self loves her some chardonnay and pinot noir but, pre-quarantine, they used to be a part of my Friday night wind-down ritual along with a scrumptious $12 sandwich. Nowadays, I look over and indulge simply because it’s there.
Like this Covid-19 situation, my overreliance on unnecessary food and drink is temporary. I know what I need to do to get my mental and physical house in order. I just need to bring out my toolkit and get to work. The remodel is coming soon. Stay tuned.
