A recipe for keeping going…

We are now in week thirteen of lockdown and half way through the second half of the summer term. We had put together a little post about butterflies, but I felt the need instead to assess where we are at the moment. Under normal circumstances, this half of term would be filled with outings, picnics, meeting up with friends, sports day and camping trips. It would be lots of fun. We are usually tired by this stage in the academic year, and that doesn’t matter because we’ve finished most of the set work I’d planned and have all sorts of excitements ahead.

This year is different. When lockdown began I felt our capacity for learning and retaining new information was going to be limited, so while we needed enough rhythm in our days to maintain a level of normality, we would veer away form those harder topics which can cause extra tension eg algebra!

I wonder how you are all doing? I wonder if I’m the only one who needs to be given permission to ease off if I need to? My reluctance to do this is that we can’t go on any adventures, and that my energy levels are still not restored enough to do so even if we could. I also feel we have had so much disruption that a semblance of normal rhythm is good and that we have not “accomplished” the level of planned learning that we would usually have done. However, as Helen and I have mused before, there are many more important life lessons to be learnt at this time.

So, as always, we are free to find something which works for us and our own families. What a blessing this is! So, amazing mums…we’ve steered our families through national shock and anxiety, we’ve learnt to shop and cook in new ways, we’ve found alternative methods to connect with family and friends, we’ve coped with illness, financial and work crises, and we still have much uncertainly ahead of us. Our world needs strong women who lead and I do believe we have been doing this in a foundational way as we have sought to lead our families through this, in addition to those who are also steering businesses, churches and other places of work or ministry. So, I think we can give ourselves the permission we need to keep refiguring our weeks. More ice cream? A picnic, now that is allowed? Glass of wine in the sunshine? A new family audible? A dear friend of mine sent us a comedy box set and laughter is definitely on the prescription for our household. Anything which can lighten and bring a sense of joy in these troubled times.

Many of us would be planning summer holidays at this stage, and we can’t do that either. So are there smaller things we can plan for? Even for those who are unable to leave their homes, would a virtual week end trip to Italy be possible, complete with some Italian food and wine? I think we may plan for that one.

We will all figure this out in our own ways, but knowing that throughout our God doesn’t change; “how majestic is His name” (Psalm 8:1)