Tara is taking a nap and so I have some moments to myself. I am sitting here on the same chair that I always do at 3pm on a Saturday, and I wonder, if this world will ever go back to being the same. If the restaurants will survive. If something as common as a flu will ever be taken lightly again. How will this impact travel? How will this impact the airlines? What about concerts? Will people ever go to football games again? I am sure that to a large extent the answer is yes. But just like 9/11 took away a sliver of our freedom, this virus will do the same.

LOFT is having its spring sale. Every year I watch out for this sale to determine my annual wardrobe – linen, paisleys, stripes, whites, smocking or something else. Today, I scanned the sale, and thought to myself – will there be a Spring of 2020. Or will we just leap into Summer this year. And with that thought I closed the tab and went back to reading depressing news from around the world.

I am taking Monday off to reinstate my sanity, and spend some time with Tara. I am thinking of building more routines. We already have a few. Our meals have adopted a routine over time – Boiled eggs, smoothies, oatmeal and millet porridge take us well into 2pm on weekdays. Simple to make, and nutritious. We try to step out of the house after work for a walk or soccer in the park outside. This is all new for us. We are working parents who don’t quite know how to balance the ping from a co-worker to have a video conferencing session right then, and the needy eyes of a five year old asking us to spend a little bit of our time with her. Routines will help us draw the lines. I want to take a 30min break and sit and chat with Tara as she eats her lunch. I want to make her breakfast in the morning and enjoy it with her on the kitchen counter. I also need some time for myself. I am not alone for even a minute in the day. Will I get used to this? I don’t know.

As I type, the music of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon soothes my nerves. Some things are still the same. Like a good tune, and its effect on my mood. For now, that is enough.

Tara is up and it’s time for some popcorn and board games. Another routine we adopted for a rainy evening. Off I go…