Two Aprils in a row.
A second April that Rachel isn’t at school.
This April is so much better than last year.
Leave it to Rachel to make a pandemic
seem like a blessing.
Last April: Home is
not a safe place for Rachel
This April: Home is
the only safe place for Rachel
Last April: Constant
worry about Rachel’s health
This April: Rachel’s
health is the best it has been in the last 13+ months
Last April: Long daily drives to take Rachel to and from
partial hospitalization
This April: Barely
using my car
Last April: Rachel not
at school, not even doing schoolwork
This April: Rachel not
at school, doing schoolwork successfully from home
Last April: No idea
how to keep her safe
This April: Clear/easy
instructions for how to stay safe
Last April: Barely
sleeping, worrying if life would ever get back to normal
This April: Sleeping well,
hoping life finds a new, better normal
Last April: Rachel on
medications that weren’t helping and were causing additional problems
This April: Rachel on
medications that seem to be working with no noticeable side effects
Last April: Doubt
that things would ever get better
This April: Things
are ALREADY better
Last April: All alone
This April: We’re all
in this together
Prior to distance learning this semester, Rachel had missed
more than 13 days of school for (physical) health issues connected to her
depression. (For reference, there were
only 45 days of school and two of those were e-learning days due to the
weather.) Since the implementation of
distance learning back in March, she has not had a single sick day. Unfortunately, school was a toxic environment
for her long before the pandemic.
So, am I enjoying the way things are right now? Honestly, yes.
I wouldn’t wish coronavirus on anyone, but my real concern
is when things go 'back to normal’. If I
could wash my hands to keep her safe from depression I would wash my hands
raw. No masks or gloves are going to
keep her safe once things return to ‘normal’.
So, if you’re looking for the ‘good’ in this situation, it’s
us. It’s given us a respite from the
seemingly non-stop health issues we’ve been dealing with for Rachel. This is the first time this school year where
she hasn’t been struggling to get caught up because of days she has
missed. She has time to do art therapy
and get exercise and fresh air which are all important components of her
treatment, but for which we rarely had time.
Is the new motto for the Wahlgrens 'Quarantine over 2019'? Probably not.
But I’m going to enjoy this while it lasts……..
