In acute ways, on March 10 around 3 p.m., my life became easier. Julia’s school closed, in an instant, via email, from the corona virus threat.

I no longer was mandated to rise at 6:30 a.m. ( 5:30 a.m. on swim practice mornings ) and hump Julia to school. The knot in my stomach that had shaped over two years from plotting the best time to dash out of the office to pick up Julia from extended day, on time, without dropping a work deadline or task, has unfurled. I no longer spent the walk home from school trying to summon up the energy to whip up dinner; now I roll from my dining room table after a day’s work.

For more than two months I’ve spent the longest period of time with Julia since her homecoming from Ethiopia almost a decade ago. In some ways, this time is similar to how I spent my days then, working remotely and cooking continuously.

Still, ten years ago I didn’t go outside because I didn’t want to leave Julia, we were cocooned in love bond. Now I must go out to food shop, which comes with some risk, mask or no mask.

(No, Instacart and I did not make friends. It already has a lot of friends.) Continue reading “Connection in the Time of Corona” →