Friday, May 22, 2020…2:33pm
The end of week 10. Double digits. No end in sight.
Where we live in Los Angeles County, some things are slowly beginning to re-open, and yet it will still be months before we experience a full return to public life. That return to public life is almost visible on the horizon – close enough to be both thrillingly and frighteningly tangible. Thrilling because we all want to return to the people, places, and things we have been missing over all of these weeks. Frightening because I believe that if we move to fast, the virus will take more people down and possibly out.
During a webinar for work this week, the presenter showed a clip from the Pixar movie Inside Out that introduced the idea of “Core Memories”, a device used in the film to explain how major moments in our lives shape our personalities. I have spent a ton of time this week thinking about the things I want to remember about this strange time and the things I hope the kids will remember. What Core Memories will become central to our story as a family?
I don’t know what will stick strongest for the kids, but from my perspective as their mom and the keeper of family lore these are the things I believe will be the lasting memories of our time at home…
- the chaos of 2 adults and 2 teenagers all trying to work and do school from home with spotty internet and the elation we all experienced the day a few weeks in when we finally got the wifi upgraded enough that nobody got booted from a meeting or a class
- endless hours binging episodes of Glee and the conversations the shows sparked about relationships, sexuality, peer pressure, and stereotypes
- an almost endless supply of sweet treats provided by my daughter and her hours spent watching youtube cooking shows
- our dog living her best geriatric dog life with her people home and how much we all laughed at her antics everyday
- watching the CA native landscaping we planted back in the Fall bloom and enjoying the birds, butterflies, and bees who have made it their home
- time spent with neighbors in front of our house
- quarantine charcuterie
- conversations about the future and learning to face extreme unknowns together
Eventually this strange time will be just another memory. The details will begin to fade. The retelling may get fuzzy. Our individual remembrances will be altered by personal perspective. My hope is that the core memories – the pieces of this time that are forever reshaping who we are as a family – will remain clear and bright far into the unknown future.
We're All A Little Broken 