The reality of a new ‘normal’ is feeling extra real at the moment. I remember the SARS outbreak in the early part of the new century; I remember attending web seminars on Ebola when I was taking my natural wellness classes. So I might not have taken COVID-19 as seriously as I should have in the early days. (Maybe it still is early days.) But this week my daily schedule is changing because of the virus: hours at my corporate job have been suspended since my responsibilities are not something that can be transferred to home; the local school closed Tuesday night and all the independent music teachers are working to transfer their students to online platforms. Over the weekend I told a friend that I was working proactively to be safe, but I wasn’t anxious . . . and when the last minute runs to the grocery store and library were made yesterday, I realized that its easy to not be worried when one is busy. Fortunately what was true before the weekend is still true now: God’s grace has always been and always will be enough.
Just because we have been encouraged to practice social distancing does not mean we have to strictly adhere to social isolation. As my community navigates its way through this soft lock-down, I’ll be compiling resources to help my students utilize their extended practice opportunity to the best of our abilities. I’ll also be sharing other resources of general things to do – I don’t know about you, but I get a little overwhelmed by large chunks of free time. I always have a running list of things I want to accomplish “when I have time”, but without a structured plan in place, too often free time gets lost in social media or that curious mental maze of “what should I be doing next?”
I’m grateful that technology allows us to maintain connections and community as we adjust to a temporary new normal. I hope you drop in to my virtual living room often to say hi.
Paper & Tea Studio 