I’ve never led a ‘normal’ life. Raised in a cult and escaped in 2007; I was hoping to achieve normalcy. Mental/adrenal breakdowns, years of therapy and rehabilitation, three kids and an art degree later, I was almost normal. The youngest child was in kindergarten, I was dancing alone, freely painting at my in-home art studio.
Covid-19. We watched it spread across the globe like a blanket. Knowing it would cover our country soon. Because of our severely asthmatic child, we did what we have done previously in bad flu years. We checked our stock of meds and quarantined. My husband was in France for work, so the quarantine decision was my load to bear. He came home and hid in our room for two weeks as I slept on the couch.
My art studio became a learning center. Brushes, paints, and canvas packed away. My arms long to stretch but my spirit has curled like a mother birds wing. How long can we endure this storm? What permanent effects will this time have on my children? Am I adequate for my child with developmental delays?
Out of this time I have formed unbelievable connections with folks in ways I never dreamed possible. But nothing can replace the physical/spiritual connection of a hug or a hand resting on another’s. we are in this together, and so far apart.