Quarantined Easter

In light of all the pandemic chaos, Easter is the furthest thing on my mind. Since my grandmother's death, holidays lack the luster and joy they once held. I find myself on autopilot and muster as much joy as possible. Unlike the egg and bunny explosion of decorations of previous years, this year is the least I have ever decorated. I just don't have it to give and I am okay with that. Part of coping and dealing with circumstances for me is acceptance. I can't change what has or is happening, only how I react to it. 

I haven't learned a new language or decluttered my house but I have been busy learning about things that I love. Things that I want to do when this is quarantine is over because it will be over, just a matter of when at this point. Right now we are only half-way through they say, stuck between a way of life we all can't live and an unknown future that will be completely foreign.

One Christmas when my grandmother became so ill, the emergency doctor told me that if she didn't respond to the antibiotics, they would put in palliative care and make her as comfortable as possible. I had just started decorating and despite the terror of losing her, I soldiered on and finished putting up the Christmas decorations. My mind wandered to a million places with every decoration but the constant movement helped the time pass quicker, as I awaited fate's outcome.

 Never thought I could ever live through that kind of pain before. The agony of knowing that I could lose her and the pain that would cause my girls who would forever associate Christmas with her death left me gasping for air. My mind played out every scenario and my body felt the emotion of every one of those possible outcomes, but nothing was in my hands. I could do nothing but accept how the cards we're dealt. Either way, I would have to continue because not even Christmas or life stops for no one.

 Time marches on without even batting an eye or pausing so one can catch their breath. So it's up to you to do what you can, with what you have, however that is to get you through. Lucky for me, she responded to the antibiotics and we shared a few more Christmases but it taught me about finding resilience within myself.

Pressing on helped me cope with the possibility of her death but with her passing, holidays just don't hold the same meaning. It doesn't mean I won't be throwing the house out the window in the future but right now, I am choosing to spend my time on other things. Things that bring me joy and happiness despite however small the amount might be. I'll take it because every drop eventually fills the glass. 

COVID-19 managed to bring the world to a halt but it can't stop the passage of time or the Easter bunny from hopping through. No more than my grief can but you and I get to decide how to spend that passage of time. There are no right answers, only whatever works personally for you. Don't fret about what other people are doing, if you don't feel like doing nothing, DON'T. Lay up in bed if that is what helps you cope. Bless those people that are deep cleaning their homes while learning a new language and homeschooling their children.  That is awesome, for them who you are not. So do you and know that its all good either way. Super productive or super relaxed, don't matter.

Here are some links that might help your passage of time.

 A virtual visit to Butchartgardens

Visit Paris Museums and Art

Crusie on by the Van-Gogh Museum

Check out apartmenttherapy.com's garden virtual tours

Grab a coffee and see if edx.org has any free courses that interest you


Maybe listen to sage advice from those who have come before us.

Take a little spin around the globe to check out the scenery.


Easter is in a couple of days, why not use my free Easter egg hunt printables to keep the kids occupied longer. You enjoy your coffee while they look for their baskets. A win-win.

Stay safe, sane and well. Wishing y'all a very Happy Easter!

Welcoming the new Decade

Just like that a decade came and went in what seems to be a blink of an eye. Is it me or is time speeding up?.

Well either way, Hello and Welcome 2020!

A new decade to enjoy and savor.

To seize the day and hours, bending time to our will.

Looking at the journey ahead, planning the best route to get there.

Knowing that the destination will be reached

with each step taken.

Setting ourselves up to soar

above the petty nonsense.

To roll on by the difficulties

and focus on enjoying the harvest.

The bounties of abundance 

above us,

and right under our noses.

Taking that day off to go to the beach.

Watching the sunset,

 and studying cloud formations.

Looking up to the sky, only to find it's looking down on you.

Always speaking to you of what's to come.

Preparing you,

lighting your way

through the cold and dark

days of the winter solstice.

Finding warmth in large coffee cups and study notes.

Being dazzled by the sunsets

 and sunrises.

Enjoying the holiday

traditions and 

nuestra comida.

Visiting the greenhouses

and drinking in the colorful beauty

of these displays.

 Feeling the holiday majic in the air.

Being reminded to hold our head up high.

 Confronting whatever comes our way with dignity.

 Never forgetting that you are stronger than whatever obstacles appear before you.

This is the last sunset of 2019.

Gratefully the last ice storm too,

but certainly not the last of the neverending synchronistic moments,

that spice up the day with mystery.

Reminding you of how much more to life there is.

Places, people and things to inspire and humble you.

That will fill your heart with gratitude,

and make you stop for a moment.

Being here and now,

enjoying this decade before another one goes flying by.