I’m in bread making mode right now, waiting for my first batch to finish rising. It’s a labor of love for those who I work with as I give a loaf of bread and a jar of salsa. This year is bittersweet because many of those loaves will go to people who have decided that this is their last year. Looking at the teachers who will be tentative be here next year (21-22), there will be two teachers left who was here when I start. It’s just makes me melancholy thinking about how much different things are now, thus the title of my blog.

#gettingoldisnotfortheweakatheart

But this blog isn’t just about that scrambled season of life, it’s about how this season has been scrambled up because of Covid.

#ohjoy

Bear with me. First, we’ll go with the superficial: our basketball season. I started with high hopes. We weren’t tall or especially fast, but this is the first team in three years that I’ve had in class. I knew them, they knew me, so we hit the ground running. Our best player, was lost after the first game with a Covid contact. Then, the governor shut us down. Finally, after accepting that we’d not play anymore, we did! However, my best player suffered a concussion 25 minutes into our first practice back. She played one game this year. Our season consisted of three weeks of practice, three games, a month break, 5 practices, and our final game.

#sigh

Second: Thanksgiving. My wife and I both teach, so we’d said early on, nope, we aren’t coming. Our cases were ridiculously high. Melissa’s aunt and my parents both said they’d not be taking guests, and while my brother who lives in Iowa City offered, understood when we said we’d be unable to attend. At the time, Iowa City’s rates were high as well, and they’d been going between online and face to face, so again, a pretty big bubble. So, we had a nice Thanksgiving, our daughters, one boyfriend and ourselves, but felt pressured by my wife’s family to join them, 9 other people, all with their own bubbles of contact. Between my wife and I, we are in contact, close or otherwise, with 200+ adults and kids per day between our two schools. No, we did not go to Thanksgiving, yet, it was nice to have our daughters back (they both have kept very small circles, watching our example).

#believethesciencenotTwitter

And finally, Christmas. Again, no parents or aunt, and again, more pressure from the other side of the family. We’ll see what happens. The offer will be to come for dessert (my wife makes the BEST chocolate pie and the BEST pie crusts), if masks are worn. I’m guessing that will be shot down, but I’m holding out some hope. With those 200+ people, I’ve had several in my class quarantine because of close contact and my wife has had a couple of close contact with one positive case. Neither one of us have contracted the virus and that’s because we are always doing our best to minimize the risk. Mask, hand washing, spraying tables, hand sanitizer, all of it helps. I’m not sure that will be enough to convince people to put on their masks, but yet, we have to try. It’s another scrambled holiday!

So, do you feel scrambled this holiday season, with traditions completely out of control? Do you feel like, looking ahead, that regaining those “important” things are what we need to do or do we take the time to be mindful and really check ourselves to what is meaningful in our lives?

If Covid has taught us anything it’s that we need to take time to be mindful!

#justkeepswimming