Let’s start with the harsh reality: This pandemic is the worst. Reading stories of people suffering with and dying from COVID-19 is horrible. Thinking about the ramifications of going back to school this fall is terrible. Hearing stories from front-line healthcare is devastating.
Not seeing friends, not going to tee-ball practice, wearing masks in stores … It’s all awful.
I’m not unaffected — there’s plenty I miss, and there have been meltdowns for sure — but I also know I haven’t had it as hard as others. For example, I’m an introvert. My work was already from home. I don’t mind cooking. I don’t get my nails done ever. I don’t color my hair. So far, we’re still working. I have only one child.
Still, despite all the awful no-good terrible-ness … there have been a few positives to come out of this mess.
Family Closeness
Once the schools were closed and my husband was sent home to work, our little family started having lunch and dinner together every day. We’d always been pretty good about dinner, though there were exceptions. But family brunches/lunches were obviously reserved for weekends and vacations. In the early weeks of the lockdown, my son observed: “One of the good things about the coronavirus is you get to spend more time with your family.”
God bless young children.
New Food Exploration
The repetition of eating at home, compounded with my own desire to try new recipes, has meant my son’s had to try new foods. He’s turned his nose up at a lot of things. But I don’t make separate meals for him. So, what’s on the table is what he’s offered.
During these past four months at home, he’s learned that he likes tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, breaded halibut, cucumbers (sometimes), salad (!), buffalo chicken wings, carnitas, jalapeños, chorizo and eggs (sort of, when they’re mixed with chorizo).
Just for a sense of balance and reality, though, he still does not like: asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, celery, plain eggs, avocado … OK, you get it.
Eating Healthier
We used to eat out a few nights a week plus one weekend brunch. My husband ate out every weekday for lunch, and I’d eat out at least a few weekdays too. My son ate peanut butter sandwiches (or nothing, because he spent his lunch breaks gabbing with friends).
Our family lunches now include fish with a side salad, semi-homemade pizza, eggs with sausage or chorizo, chicken with salad, and honestly, lots of dinner leftovers.
But in a lot of ways, we’re eating healthier — less sodium than eating out, more whole foods, and more nutrients than my son’s PB sandwiches.
Consuming Less, Wasting Less
When the pandemic hit and we were advised to go out as little as possible, I accepted a new challenge: purchasing groceries for seven to 10 days at a time. This was a new experience for me, as I was accustomed to shopping every two to three days for what we needed. Now, I need to be better at planning — and/or getting creative with using up everything we have before I venture out again.
I’ve also been a lot more focused on not wasting food, and that means everyone’s getting more comfortable with leftovers. We’re also making do more often, rather than running to the store for single items. I consider it a badge of honor when I see that this week’s grocery total is less than last week’s — or when I’ve stretched groceries 10 days.
My regular Target runs are down too. What exactly was it that I needed so badly? Some items were surely related to school projects or kiddo sports, but others were clearly unnecessary in life. And we’re just fine without them.
A Simpler Life Ahead
The pandemic has added complexity and stress to our lives in a lot of ways. But I yearn for the regular normal chaos. I crave the fun … the tee-ball games and dance class and chess club (for my son) and yoga and girls brunches (for me) and vacations (for our family).
I know I’ll be normal-stressed again, but I hope I remember some of the good that came out of stupid horrible no-good 2020. The benefit of family meals, the healthfulness of home cooking, the need for less stuff, the desire to consume and waste less — these are things that I hope stay with our family and make us stronger and happier in the long run.