Day 12 of school.  Julia had challenges last week transitioning to going to school and the new school schedule, but this week has been pretty good.  There is not much homework because classes are 90 minutes each and she has some study support built into her day.  I’ve been arranging for one after school activity a day—she gets home after 4 so one is all she can do—and that too has gone well.  Julia is still on her iPad hiatus and so it is important to have planned activities; however, for the most part she is not whining for more time online.  After-school cello, theater class and therapy are all online as are all of her general ed courses.  She is tired at the end of her day.

And I am filling my days.  Still catching up on a few things that have been put off since spring, and prepping for the HILR classes I take and the meditation class I teach.  Also, attacking the pile of books by my bed that has been gathering dust all summer.  The plan for today—an absolutely free day—was to food shop, make mole and then read and write for hours. 

And then the school nurse called.  

Julia, who bounded out of the car this morning at 9, needed to come home.  She was sneezing and coughing in class (and having trouble keeping her masks on.  Well, duh!  I have not sneezed or coughed in my mask but the prospect is not appealing.). She complained of a stomach ache and is lethargic.  I picked her up at 10 after a quick doc call for an appointment this afternoon and a covid test, and now she is napping.  Julia never naps, so, I can be pretty sure she is not feeling well but she has no fever and has not sneezed or coughed since I picked her up.

There was a time —oh, about 6.5 months ago—that I would have been unhappy and a bit resentful about upending my plans for the day and perhaps I’ve gained an incredible amount of resilience or I’m just numb to constant change but I hardly paused before reorganizing and  rearranging the day.  

And here I am.  I was going to do a big food shopping because we are low on lots of staples, but I made a small list to get through the weekend and took Cheshire up on her offer to get and drop off groceries.  Switched recipes to be made today—our favorite soup will go further than the mole I was planning. Switched around my writing schedule for the day—A page better than nothing. And thought about how to occupy Julia until the covid test comes back.  The other day I picked up a “teen box” from our library for her with 8 books plus fun stuff that she is dying to get into and there are plenty of new art supplies.  Her time can be filled.  It looks like a gray day today, so quiet will not be hard.  And we’ll settled in for a quiet weekend while praying that her test comes back negative.   

This is just so much this time.