Written by Education Director, Katrin Huber
Writing is definitely not my strong suit, but here I go.
I’m excited to tell you what my family (two teenagers, ages 13 and 18) and I have been up to since we’ve been at home, since my husband is still busy in the hospital.
Because we are all staying home to practice social distancing, we need to find new ways to connect and socialize. We need to be more sensitive to what we can do to help friends and neighbors, and make the best of this crazy time. Most important is that we all stay connected in any way possible! Call a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while, check on a lonely neighbor next door and do not let this virus get in the way of what’s important.
Of course, we’ve pulled out card games and the soccer ball to play some family tournaments, and we all got to know each other a little bit better. But now we also have time to appreciate the amazing little things that happen all around us, every day. I don’t think we usually would have taken the time to look at a baby turtle walking on the sidewalk. Before, something so tiny would have gone unnoticed!
It made us think about how even though the virus may be on everyone’s minds, nature’s rhythm still goes on. Spring flowers are bursting into bloom everywhere you look, birds are beginning to build new nests, and the circle of life continues. So this week, I went out and bought some new bird houses to invite our bird friends to stay in our yard a little longer.
Maybe nature is the key to finding normalcy in our strange, new situation. I think now more than ever, it’s super important to focus on the little things in life. We’re already cooped up at home, so going outside and getting some fresh air just becomes that much more important. Going outside every day to enjoy the beauty of nature is something that I think I’ve begun to appreciate more since this whole thing started.
And on a rainy day, when we started to get bored, our pets become camera models, and they absolutely loved the attention!
While this virus has obviously brought a lot of change, it has definitely made some of my regular tasks a lot more interesting. Just walking into Walmart is like an adventure: scavenging for toilet paper and milk, weaving between empty shelves in search of the last box of tissues. Or just driving home: it’s been days since I was stuck in traffic! It’s moments like these where we have to stop and appreciate how crazy these things are.
Let them inspire you! Inspiration can come from weird places, and we have more than enough weird to go around right now. So next time you see a bottle of hand sanitizer for fifty dollars, or something beautiful in nature around you, take it in, use it to create art, or share it.
In conclusion, this quarantine has taught me to value the time I spend with my loved ones much more, to cherish nature, to keep in touch with friends, and to find ways to keep myself happy.