Day 18, self quarantine: I have all kinds of thoughts this morning, none of them good, and then I stumbled on the rolling New York Times coronavirus obituary list and lost it altogether though I highly recommend you read it. So I was struggling with what to say today without bringing you all down with me when I saw a short piece on the news which gave me inspiration and made me laugh. The perky, young anchor looked into the camera and asked with a perfectly straight face,
“Will coronavirus end your marriage?”
Oh, honey.
I’ve been with my knucklehead since Richard Nixon was President. We’ve been through substance addiction, deaths of loved ones, near bankruptcy, September 11, infertility and several miscarriages...you think a little virus is going to take our relationship down?
Apparently a lot of couples are struggling with too much togetherness. Right now in China, following months of quarantine, the divorce rate is soaring.
But then I thought about how this virus could take our marriage down in the worst possible way, and I started slipping into panic attack territory again. So I used my emotional “tools” and shook it off and decided to make this post about gratitude.
I am grateful for my husband and kids. They are everything to me.
I am grateful my family is safe and healthy and able to self quarantine.
I am grateful I can work from home and fulfill my lifelong fantasy of having my dog at work. Speaking of Jake, he’s hilarious. He defies the You can’t teach an old dog (he’s 9) new tricks every day. The two of us get up at dawn while Gary sleeps in. Around 8:00 in the morning, he starts nudging me.
“What is it, Jake? Are you ready to be Jake Slick, paralegal?”
As soon as I say it, he runs to the stairs to head to Julie’s bedroom a/k/a my new office. He waits for me and Gary said he hears us while sleeping - the sound of Jake’s paws on the hallway floor and me giggling and whispering “Are you ready to work today, Jake?”
Jake stays with me all day, stretched out on Julie’s bed, snoring. He only gets up for lunch, which brings me to my next item of gratitude.
I have a husband who is an unbelievable chef. I’ve eaten in 5 star restaurants all over the planet...I’ve eaten in Tuscany for God’s sake, and Gary can compete with all of them although Tuscany...
Anyway, I’ve been getting some 5 star meals during quarantine, including surprise lunches garnished with fresh herbs.
Jake is so down with this new routine.
So what I’m saying is, I know I’m blessed and maybe I used to take everything for granted.
Not anymore.
https://www.nytimes.com/series/people-died-coronavirus-obituaries
