I feel lonely tonight. I am not alone, I have my girls. I take them for ice cream after a week of school accomplished. Me as their teacher, them as my students. I am proud. I think an ice cream will be the reward, a Friday night treat. We pull our car up, we look inside the ice cream shop, the bright lights and the the glass cases with the tubs full of different colors calling to us, we start gearing up with gloves, masks and I think… how is this becoming so normal? If we were to walk in the shop without gloves and a mask we would be so in the wrong! Then I think “How is ice cream non essential anyway?” I start to spiral and then I look at my kids ands I realize that I am just glad my kids are accepting of these conditions. That they are becoming routine rather than rebelling against it. How do they have it so together during this time of corona virus? All I can say is as long as they’re not losing their shit I have no right to either! “The kids are all right?” “Yes” “The kids are Alright! And if they are, then I have to be as well.” As we are walking in, two girls are just leaving the shop. They are in their 20s and I don’t want them to leave. Their presence would make me feel more Friday vibes. now it’s just us, and a girl who works here. My girls order ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. I tell them how proud I am of them for being so great with school all week again I keep thinking “how is this all normal”? as a turn to pay the cashier and she too is in masks and gloves. I say to her “wow crazy world huh” and she looks at me, and our eyes are only form of communication. She nods her head in agreement “Yeah” she says with a heavy sigh. I want to tell her that I feel alone. I want to tell her that I have to run home to write, because my laptop is the only person I can talk to right now. I get home and my friend Vanessa has dropped olive oil from her vineyard and a 12 pack of toilet paper. A sign of life. And the perfect care package in today’s world.
