My COVID-19 Life in May 2020

By Angela Grout, West Springfield, U.S.

My daughter should be dressed in costume for tonight’s opening night show. Instead, Frozen Jr. is frozen for the time being, as well as the whole world. Everyday life has changed.

Personally, I don’t like change, so I’ve tried to maintain a routine. Working, writing, and taking time to enjoy nature. My children are adjusting, but social distance has caused so many disappointments in the man-made routines and rituals they had. School has changed. Sports have ended. Ceremonies are postponed if not canceled.

My oldest is a junior and thinking about the colleges that planned to come watch her play lacrosse this season. She is missing out on the season. How will we plan for college? How will she select a school? There will be no visits or interviews as planned.

My family and I are enjoying having a “slower” schedule, but my heart breaks for her. Prom, sports and socializing are cancelled. My youngest misses her friends and routine too.

Social distance seems less real with social media, but it’s impersonal. In one click, everyone is gone. It feels so lonely when the Zoom boxes leave. How will we get back to normal in this changing world, and what will that look like? How do we prepare?

Teaching children to trust health authorities is difficult, with our headlines changing daily. First COVID-19 was infectious with physical contact, then news reported that grocery bags could carry the virus. I own a flower shop, and my flower designs have to sit outside nursing homes for three hours before recipients can receive them. More headlines claim contamination isn’t on surfaces. Wearing face masks has been mandatorily recommended and is uncomfortable.

Learning to believe, trust, or ignore news headlines is something that common sense can’t digest fast enough. Feeling isolated and restricted isn’t healthy. Grieving families call me to request flowers to represent their presence at funeral services that they are forced to avoid.

The flower market has changed. In mid- March, international flights were cancelled; growers in the U.S. couldn’t ship flowers cross country, and New England’s season prevented products from being available locally. Holland mowed their fields prior to Easter, and they dumped their flowers into the ocean. Will the tide carry their fragrance to heal the world? I hope so!

Thankfully farmers in South America secured passenger flights to ship for Mother’s Day. Supply was limited but appreciated for traditional gift-giving.

Personally, I have been spending time in my own garden, and appreciating the opportunities to participate in online writing groups. Writing sprints supply focused time to move forward on my next book. The release of my current book had all spring promotions canceled, including May Wines and “APRIL RAiN” at the Brimfield Winery! There is fear in the air that any social gathering may increase the spread. Where is faith? Never was there a guarantee that living in the world with others would be germ-free.

I teach religious education– my students were to have made their confirmation last week. Churches are closed. I remind my students that confirmation is a personal journey. The celebration of confirmation is a man-made ritual, a sacrament in the church to mark a special event. I pray they practice their faith to trust their own common sense to navigate through these days in a positive and productive manner.

The fear and anxiety of COVID-19 is awakening us to the reality that we are all here temporarily and need to be proactive to make the world a little better, when we leave it.

Better days are coming.