This is my second week of social distancing.
If I were to get more specific; this is my second week of social isolation.

COVID-19 has hit our collective reality pretty hard. 

Some people were expecting this new form of normal. Some people were caught quite unprepared. Despite our varying levels of preparedness, something wonderful has been happening these last couple of weeks; 

We have been pulling for each other.

There has been so many stories shared among us about love, patience, understanding for our fellow man. In the face of such a scary time for many, our humanity is shining a beacon of hope.

I love this about our species.

My current normal is basic isolation from anyone outside of those who live in my home. On the rare occasion I do leave my house, it is to deliver food or wave to my immunocompromised father through the window of his home. The trek to my father’s house is more than 70 miles one way. I am kept company in my car by one of my poodles, but the trip is well worth the drive time.

My poodle and I see only one other person on these trips to my father’s house. We make a point to stop at the drive-thru of my daughter’s coffee shop. I wear gloves and stay in the car. My daughter, who battles chronic asthma, wears her gloves as she waves to me and we yell; “I love you!” To each other from our respective windows.

So what do I do with all this extra home time?

Well, like a lot of us, I do go a little stir crazy. And also, like a lot of us, I gravitate toward my hobbies to keep me sane and occupy my time. Some hobbies, like playing the flute, had been set aside for a very long time. It’s been a good feeling to pick the instrument up once again and play. And then there are my other hobbies, like knitting, that I constantly wish to do, but rarely find the time at the end of a long or demanding day.

In these last two weeks, I’ve been knitting more projects than even my Christmas knitting list could contain! 

What can I say? I like to keep busy.

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop

-Benjamin Franklin

I am so grateful for this knitting time that’s been given to me. I am making sweaters for people I love, cardigans for myself, and lots of little baby things for soon-to-be newcomers to this sweet earth of ours.

As I sit in my house, doing my best to be a sofa superhero,I remind myself that the world needs me to do just what I am doing right now. 

Be still. Be present. Be healthy and alive for my people who need me to be stronger than they can be right now. And knitting makes this transition to stillness so much easier. 

Once this is all over, and trust this above all else; this will end, I hope to emerge from my isolation with a lot more gratitude for this world and a few more knit garments for my body.

Love to you all, grant yourself grace and be good to others.