This time last year as children got sent home from school, businesses began shutting down, and 'Dr. Faucci' became a frequently googled name, the alarm around the pandemic grew amid daily news conferences by government officials. The initial panic gradually gave way to action as we all navigated the safest way to get through a period that almost immediately began to change the way we lived.
Once the toilet paper and disinfectant wipes had been stocked focus shifted to children. The novelty of waking up late and showing up for class still in pajamas soon wore off. Abrupt goodbyes with teachers and friends, drive-by graduations, and then the reality of summer in lockdown disappointed and angered us all, regardless of age.
A year later, as we slowly begin to exhale, it’s time to take stock of the kids once again. In our family, in the first few weeks after the playgrounds shut down, we decided to start the days with a walk around the neighborhood. That lasted a week. We then began visiting tide pools to supplement science due to limited instruction time at school. That didn't last either when the beaches were closed. Also, let's face it, that was too ambitious. Finally, a hike at the end of each day stuck and took care of the most restless period of the afternoon, got us moving and everyone's mood improved.
Even though these have been difficult months for all of us, there are a few changes we've been grateful for in our family. The daily hikes gave our family of four dedicated time together. The hike to our destination was for my husband and me to catch up on our day while the kids walked way ahead. The return trip was open for any discussion of the kids' choosing- math, space, hypothetical ideas on which dog breeds we should adopt (no we didn't give in) and the one time they could ask us riddles.
Even when our lives return to normal, this is one activity we plan to keep since it benefited each of us and most importantly helped us get through the year together. It has been our silver lining.
