I'm often seen as a person that delivers hope in times of hopelessness, so if you're looking for that kind of post right now, this ain't it... what I can provide is a huge dose of reality... which you might also need. The past two weeks I've felt my life living me like I was riding a horse and it was going 100 miles an hour and I was watching my routine live me in the most routine of ways. Get up. Say prayers of thanksgiving. Coffee. Oatmeal. Yell at kids to get up. Bathroom. OTHER STUFF THAT IS A BLUR. Work some more. Social media. Hug kids. Laugh or cry (depending on the day). social media. Brush teeth. Social media. Wake up next day...
Today, I was stumbling down a click hole on Instagram when I fell off the platform and onto Michael Marczewski's site. And just like that, I felt this short video from 2017 speak to me... These cute little old robots with their big eyes and their determined little movements were a prophetic whisper and nod to my current COVID-19 Routine. I do the same thing every day. In my house. And up until now, it hadn't gotten to me. Vicious Cycle from Michael Marczewski on Vimeo.
In fact, I had judged all of these people who were going stir crazy in April. I was like, "What's wrong with you?! Chill TF out."... Well, I'm no better than those people right now. With school about to start 100% virtually, I keep thinking about how my kids are going to zone out for good grades from 9-3 in front of a screen. We spent the entire summer pursuing their interests to trade all that in for who knows what. Maybe that's my real problem... maybe that's the real root of this feeling. It's not despair or desperation, it's more like, WITAF am I doing.
I don't know WITAF I am doing... We are all doing some robotic ballet through our days. No matter how powerful or powerless we perceive ourselves to be, we're all doing our little dances alongside each other. The best advice I have right now is that there is no end in sight and that you're going to need to make sure that as you cycle through your routine, that you find some way to enjoy the ride. Don't just let it live you or just nearly escape from it. If that horse is going 100 miles/hour, take off your shirt and wave it around your head for a bit. Get a bit of the thrill because seriously the ending looks inevitable from here.
Read about other times I was cannibalized by routines and stuff...
I'll bounce back, so will you.
2 Comments
Carrie
9/1/2020 09:29:23 am
I follow you on Instagram and get a lot of inspiration from you. It's not hard to see from your posts you are super creative and focused on your family's ever changing and individual schedule/needs/goals. I will be following your blog and Instagram this school year more than ever. I love to see posts just like this, emphasizing the old/new routines and how they impact yours and your families moods/outputs/etc. I'm interested in the apps, platforms and tools you use this year; as well as your tips and tricks with that dose of reality you write with. :) HUGE FAN OVER HERE!
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Miranda
9/1/2020 02:36:22 pm
I am visiting for the first time and I am asking myself, "What took me so long?" All this time I have spent on Facebook hoping for positivity, encouragement, and understanding, I find it here. You have my attention!! Great job!
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I'm a former teacher and former college athlete, currently working to make life more equitable for all people. My mission is to get parents to partner with their child's teacher.
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