Today we heard that Rhode Island schools will be closed for at least two more weeks. My husband doesn’t think the kids will be going back to school at all for this school year. That’s certainly possible. Some colleges have already announced that they will only do remote learning for the remainder of the semester. As for me, I hope the kids will be able to go back, though my pessimistic half laughs at me and calls me a fool for it. If all goes as planned, the kids will begin e-schooling on Monday.
I realize how lucky I am to be able to stay home, to be here for my children, to be able to take time off if I need it, and to be paid as usual. I am not struggling in the same way as others are or soon will be. But I have lost what little contact I had with the outside world and the anchors that kept me in sync with it. I was already feeling too isolated. Now it will be worse. I will have to be mindful of that and make more of an effort to stay in touch with people.
I want to remain positive, but I have a habit of reading too much. I have seen a lot of reports from China and Italy about how bad things got for them, and I am scared. Americans do not like being told what to do, even when it’s for their own good. A lot of them are behaving stupidly and will continue to do so. I worry about our inept and corrupt federal government, that it will continue its poor handling of the situation, and that it will take advantage by expanding its powers. I worry about a lot of things, and I can do nothing but stay home.
But at least I can watch a new episode of Picard, because it’s Thursday. Thank goodness for that. And congratulations to me, because I haven’t lost all track of time yet.