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Would you describe yourself as someone who's healthy at this point? Why or why not? If this has changed during the pandemic, talk about what's changed.
Gardening has helped to keep me sane. I survived quarantine by seeing change in a sweet potato vine that sprouted, despite 3 months of sameness. I remember Hugh Downs on a tv show” Over Easy” asking elderly why they were growing bonsais when bonsai take decades & even century to grow. “ It gives us hope”, was the answer. Gardening is an act of faith and hope. It can sustain you physically and spiritually-and keeps you out of stores if it is successful. This is my current project. I purchased this Garden Tower as a Christmas gift for myself and have waited months for the weather to allow me to start plants by seed. I was looking at consolidating my garden and not thinking about composting in it when I purchased it. Now I’m excited to trim my vegetables and add to the compost so my worms have food to make compost tea, which gives my plants nutrients. This has been great so far . I’m eating more vegetables, growing future vegetables as well as herbs and flowers & enjoying watching things leaf out. I bought a 2nd tower and spent time setting it up and transplanting basil and poppies into it today. I planted some seeds, too. Growing things is exciting. You get to see and be a part of change. In addition to hope it gives agency and is fun. I can’t wait to make Caprese salad with my own basil and tomatoes. I hope to stay curious and try to make my own ricotta and mozzarella. There is always something new to try.
August 1, 2022
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
I'm working from home while also taking care of an 18 month old baby boy. My husband used to have the option of working from home, but is now expected to work in his office. He doesn't go into his office much, if at all, but he also doesn't help me take care of our son while we're both working from home. It really pisses me off that he feels his work is more important than mine or that he doesn't have the option to take care of our son while he's working. It puts an extra burden on me because I don't have the option to mute my mic during my classes that I teach. I don't have the option to turn off my camera while teaching. Instead, I have to leave it on even when our child is feeling neglected and screams through half a class. I have seen all of the articles and data about the lack of support from fathers in terms of equitable child rearing and how that affects mothers who work. I've discussed this with my husband and he says that because he started a new job in the middle of a pandemic that he doesn't have the flexibility to slack at work. However, I think it's unreasonable for any job to expect people, whether they have children or not, to be as productive as they were under "normal" circumstances.
October 8, 2020