An evening walk, March Madness fun, working from home, and more from our week (7 Quick Takes)

Want to read about that topic that’s on everyone’s minds? Then you probably want to click away. These quick takes are distancing themselves from that conversation again this week as I share a few snippets from our little sliver of the world.

~1~

I am not someone who craves alone time. I enjoy being with people, and I can escape into my writing easily enough when I have to, so that’s usually all I need.

But this week I have been working full time and taking care of our boys. By the time I’ve finished feeding everyone dinner and loaded the dishwasher, I am ready for a minute to myself. So, last night I slipped outside for a quick walk.

It’s amazing how getting outside can change your whole mood. Walking through our neighborhood and seeing how the trees stretch so elegantly up into the sky, I felt so small and yet so at peace.

~2~

You’re probably wondering how our extended family’s fictional-character March Madness tournament is going. It’s been a fast-paced intense competition, and it has really been a central part of the week for my boys—and maybe slightly less so for me.

My characters—Louis the Swan and the Fish in the Pot—were eliminated early on. Our younger son lasted the longest with 8-bit, a video game character, who made it to the Final Four. As of today, we are down to Aslan (Chronicles of Narnia) and Chirrut (Rogue One).

I highly recommend creating your own March Madness. We are hoping to start a new round next week.

~3~

How was your St. Patrick’s Day? I was pulling dinner together that night, and one of the boys came into the kitchen and asked why I was making Irish soda bread.

“Because it’s St. Patrick’s Day!” I said.

“It is?” he said. “Today!”

Oops. I might have forgotten to mention it. Let’s just say that it’s been a hectic week.

~4~

One week in, and as far as I can tell, the best things about working from home are:

1. Not having to pack lunches
2. Not having to wear formal pants or shoes
3. Not having to commute
4. Being able to have groceries delivered any time of the day
5. Making sure your children have more video game time than they’ve ever had in their lives

~5~

We are just starting to find our rhythm, and it’s a rhythm that doesn’t include the loads of homework we’ve been assigned. I just want everyone to be safe and healthy and fed and exercised. And I’m paying people to read. So far, so good.

I even offered one of the children $7 to read a Harry Potter book. He looked at me, grabbed the book, and said, “You’re on.”

We’re both going to win.

~6~

I used Instacart for the first time this week. As I was placing my order online, I was shocked by the limited options at the store. When I search for pasta sauce, I’m not looking for anything involving butternut squash. When I search for pasta, I don’t need it to have any connection to garbanzo beans—which, back in the day, were called chickpeas.

But seeing the limited options made me think about how fortunate I am to be able to be so picky about flavors and brands. Even when the stores are empty of toilet paper, we have so much.

In our house, we mostly have avocadoes and smoked salmon. So, I will be just fine. I don’t know about everyone else. No matter how much I thought I had for the children, it keeps disappearing.

Anyway, the groceries arrived at my door within two hours. Joy of joys. I may never go grocery shopping again.

~7~

There are few joys in life that compete with looking out your kitchen window to see your children playing happily in the yard. Wiffle ball may be the perfect sport.

But knowing that your sons are mature enough to play on their own, happily together, at least for a bit, is a wonderful gift.

I hope each day brings you small, ordinary moments of great joy, too.

Read more quick takes at Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a good weekend.

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