Homestretch

I’m almost tempted to go back to posts from the last few years at this time (weeks before my school year comes to a close) to remind myself just how stressful and hectic they are. I think I’m usually pretty miserable right around now, if I let myself be honest about it. This is the time when I’m trying to cram in way more content than the academic calendar (and my students’ attention spans) will allow, when I’m planning for my daughter’ birthday, when I’m trying to keep track of all the parties and events and what I signed up to bring to them. It’s a brutal time of year, one I’m always just trying to get through.

It’s not like that this year, and I can’t decide if it’s horrible of me to enjoy the relative calm I’m feeling right now, two weeks before our school year ends.

I was thinking the other day that I haven’t even looked at July on a calendar. Normally I would have a doc with every week scheduled – flights, camps, parties, events. I don’t even know what day my 40th birthday falls on (that’s not true – I remember being excited that 2020 was a leap year because it pushed my birthday to a Friday when it’s easier to celebrate – but I haven’t thought about that once since this started). My daughter is going to one camp – a sailing camp on Treasure Island – during the last three weeks of summer, and that is literally all I have on the calendar. I wonder, in three or four years, when things look a lot more like they used to, what summers will be like for us. Crazy to to think by then my daughter will be turning 13 or 14! Eek! Things will probably look then very different than they did last year, even if they are back to “normal.”

Things aren’t all hunky dory around here. My husband is very busy helping various officials at City Hall write policy to guide business as they get ready for various stages of reopening on June 15th. It’s incredibly stressful and since we’re around each other all day, it’s hard not to get into his overwhelmed and depressed headspace.

Things in the Bay Area are still very locked down and there will still be tight restrictions on everything even as we enter our first stage of reopening. In fact, tonight an order requiring adults to wear masks outside at all times, even during recreation, will go into effect (before we only had to wear them accessing essential services). It’s crazy for me to think that some states are pretty much back to business as usual. Our current shelter in place order, which was set to expire on June 1st, has been extended indefinitely. I don’t really know what that means in the context of our reopening. All I do know is that nothing is going back to “normal” here anytime soon.

The uncertainty surrounding the next school year is stressful as a teacher and a parent, but there is nothing I can do about it so I’m trying to let it go. I’m able to manage that more than I would have expected months ago.

I do have plans to be in outdoor spaces, where a few friends can drop their kids off for social distancing play dates. I think being outside every day will help give some structure to our days. I’m even thinking about painting a couple rooms in my house… which means maybe I’m handling things so well because I’ve finally just lost my mind. (I HATE painting.)

The sink was installed today without a hitch. We’re pretty much done buying things for the new space. I look forward to purging and organizing this summer so that we’re ready for more time at home this fall. I’m no longer dreading the summer, and I know I’m incredibly lucky to be in the situation I’m in. I’ve always wanted to give my kids more unstructured time, but it was always so easy to sign them up for camps they were interested in. I hope to make the best of this forced summer of nothing. Maybe we’ll even enjoy it.

My kids actually finished their school year officially today. I still have one week of work, but it will be much more low key than the last ten. It’s weird not to have a hard end date, but it’s nice to ease into a less stressful schedule. Next week will be weird with me working and my kids not doing distance learning, but we’ll figure it out.

How are you feeling about the summer?