Today I Left the House

Finding a new normal during a pandemic

Normally, leaving the house would not be exciting. No one would notice, it would not be news at all.

But there is nothing normal about this pandemic.

I never leave the house anymore. Run out of food? The grocery store delivers. Drive the kids somewhere? Everything is closed. Need to see the doctor? Telemedicine covers that. There is almost no reason to leave the house anymore.

And so, we stay inside. The kids glued to their computers. Me, content in my own little world. We’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a part of a larger community.

Losing Community

We are homeschoolers, but that doesn’t mean we are usually disconnected. We attend classes with other homeschoolers, we coordinate hikes, picnics, roller skating, and field trips. You name it, homeschoolers are there. From the skate park to church, choir practice to swimming pool, we are usually all over the place. There are many homeschooling families around here and it’s relatively easy to find community.

Or at least, it was.

When Covid-19 brought the world to a halt, schools closed and so did all of the homeschool activities. At first, it was a challenge to stay connected. We weren’t used to communicating from a distance with our community. We scrambled to connect the kids with their friends online and to check in remotely with my peeps. We joined our church on Facebook, watching the comments in the chat during service. We felt almost desperate to remain connected to something outside of our home.

But slowly, slowly, the desperation abated. The attempts to connect became burdensome instead of fulfilling. New coping mechanisms began to fill our time (I’m looking at you, Minecraft.) And we settled in for the long haul.

We found new ways to stay occupied. Some are useful, like a little extra math practice; some are not so useful, like binge-watching The Gilmore Girls. The kids have discovered new avenues for earning money by helping our neighbors. I’ve been writing more and talking less. They’ve been working on their architectural skills through Minecraft (that’s valid, right?). We’ve shared dreams about the future, where we will live, what the kids might study in college, when will they get that driver’s license? And we’ve learned to make room for each other in a more conscious way, both when someone needs space and when someone needs company. We’re settling into a new normal.

A New Normal

So today, when I came downstairs and announced, “I’m leaving the house!” I was greeted with astonishment, quickly followed by confusion. Why? Where? When will you be back?

To my surprise, no one asked, “Can I come, too?”

I was floored. After all of this time in the house, do you not want to get out? Touch base with the world? No, they said, we just walked the dog. I rode my skateboard earlier, I’ve been out.

At the beginning of this pandemic, we would all jump at the chance to leave the house. Face masks and all, it was better than staying home. It made us feel more normal. But eventually, I guess we all just…adjusted.

Our world became smaller and we found ways to be satisfied within our own neighborhood. Within our own house. We keep each other company. We are used to being home. The “world” is now the radius of a dog walk. And no one seems to mind. At least not today.

Want to go to the pool kids? Nope, too crowded. Picnic? Too hot. Library? You mean you’re going inside the library??!!?

I guess leaving the house will remain a rare adventure for the time being.