Almost..without a hitch.

Well we almost made it the entire first quarter of school in session without a hitch. Almost. Usually a runny nose and a sore throat (chalk it up to drainage) don’t bother me in the midst of fall allergy season, but Covid has me on high alert, so much as a sneeze...and out comes the thermometer. Usually, I don’t see a temp above 98 or 99. Usually. But the other day I saw the numbers 1-0-0 followed by “.06”. This means we have a fever, and a fever means that according to protocol, we will not be returning to school until cleared by a doctor or quarantine time is up. It was my middle schooler who was not feeling well, but my kindergartner (who will be running laps around the house between his online learning) gets to stay home too. It’s not kosher to send him to school while ruling out Covid for the sister he tackles daily in his effort to prepare for the NFL. He wants to know why he has to stay home from school, which is interesting because usually he wants to know why he has to go to school. The upside is, now we will know how to roll with it when the next “possible symptom of Covid” show up. Where to get tested, how to get on the online learning (which we haven’t had to do since last year), what food and supplies we generally run out of when stuck together at home for a few days. Most importantly, how to trust. How to not freak out that life happens to us, not according to us. How to go with Plan B, or C or D. How to be thankful for all the things we don’t have that we don’t want. How to be thankful for all the things we have that we are glad to have. These life lessons are as important as the Zoom learning that is coming our way. I hope we learn them well.

As grace would have it, we were able to get into the pediatrician quickly with my middle schooler, who tested negative for both strep throat and Covid. All of a sudden seasonal allergies, colds, and viruses (other than Covid) don’t seem so bad after all. I wonder if her symptoms had anything to do with her raking leaves the night before the onset. I decided to take the task of the leaves on myself in order to prevent a recurrence. It seemed like a good idea until I somehow blew up the extension cord and shorted out the leaf blower in the process. My husband has wanted a new leaf blower for a while anyway. Maybe this is a way of telling him it is time to spring for one. As for Plans B, C and D...it turns out that when you don’t have a leaf blower, a rake and a broom can also be used. I suspect there will be many alternative plans utilized as life (and at this point Covid) continue. As they say, “Bend so you don’t break.” And if you happen to be six, and land a “get out of school free card” for a day, enjoy it. Even if you are not six, enjoy what you can about the day you have been given. As they say about your life, “If you don’t enjoy it, who will?” There will be hitches and glitches in life, but there will also be moments that are somewhat steady, don’t miss them.