Coronapocalypse!

My seventh grade history teacher, Miss Holland, used one explanation when teaching us about dark events in history--People behave differently in wartime than they would in peace time.

I think we can all agree that man vs. virus counts as a new kind of significant conflict.

And we can already see examples of people who are behaving differently under these seriously bizarre circumstances.

As in all things, I'm approaching this challenge as an opportunity to, well, look for more opportunities within the confines of viral avoidance and social distancing. I'm an extremely social person so the unknowns ahead of us as humans feels a tad like becoming an unwilling character in a Choose Your Own Adventure book called Virus Attack! Every page is full of information and choices that lead to something unknown but also will include more information and more choices. We don't know how long we are in this deal, so getting my head around the possibility that the current reality may be our new normal buzzes around my head like an inconvenient annoyance that won't go away so I can get on with things. My things. My plans.

My things and plans feel less imperative at the moment.

We study history to learn from those who lived before us so we take what worked and carry it forward and leave behind what didn't. I'm a World War II buff, so some of my favorite stories include common themes--kindness, sacrifice, tenacity, hope, bravery, love. Those characteristics saved people, cultures, resources, art, and humanity. So I'm doing my part to be a giver and not a taker, a vehicle for positivity instead of gloom and doom because when we look back on these very strange times, people will remember who we became in uncertain times. More importantly, I will look back on who I became in these uncertain times.

There. All done with philosophical positioning on a virus named after a beer that is only drinkable with the assistance of a lime.

I'm committing to a daily update from the Teacherwithtude on what I'm doing with my uncommon incarceration...

Making time for the arts.
Grow a bigger vegetable garden.
Maybe get some chickens?
Spend more time outside.
Read for fun.
Watch less TV.
Can some food just in case...
Reach out to people I haven't seen in a while.
Write more.
Spend more time with my kids since they are barely still kids!
Make my life less busy and more meaningful.

A Note to My Teacher Friends:

If any group of people were ever prepared for something like this, it's you. Teachers are the CEOs of the corporations that are their classrooms. Teachers plan for specific outcomes and design plans for kids to engage in the experiences to learn and grow. Teachers love kids like they are their own children. Take care of yourselves and remember that twenty years from now, your students will remember YOU, the teacher that taught them and kept something consistent in their little lives when they felt afraid and anxious and uncertain. You are the thread of our communities and you are a significant reason we will all get through this better people than BC (Before Corona).

Check out my first task tomorrow -- Cleaning House!