“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words are timely in our new age of COVID.
With so many of us confined to quarters because of the global pandemic known as COVID, we’ve had to come up with ways to maintain our mental and emotional health, as well as meeting the needs of physical self-care.
The way of learning for children, from nursery/kindergarten through high school has changed dramatically, with pod learning growing in popularity in neighbourhoods across the country. Aside from that, how people occupy themselves ‘after hours’ is critical to emotional wellness. Board games, story time and reading are particularly good ways to engage younger children. Learning how to make a grocery list, budgeting and meal planning are ‘tools of the trade’ of independent living for older children that can be undertaken at the kitchen table. Perhaps one child could video tape a meal prep with a running commentary. Expanded into journaling, these are all opportunities for learning to live in the world. Families still have to eat!
With holiday time and family gatherings upon us, many are struggling with what to do and how to do it — safely. How we celebrate long-standing family traditions and community holiday activities has changed significantly and many are finding the emotional toll is wearing them down. But they’re not out. It’s important to involve all members of the family, as their age allows, in planning celebrations during COVID confinement, mindful that ‘this, too, shall pass’. If we all do our part, COVID will become a distant memory and our lives will return to some semblance of normal. In the meantime, be WE people, which is the best way to ensure that members of families and of communities stay healthy, giving health care professionals a reprieve from wondering who’s next. They’re exhausted, too, but they keep on going, looking forward to their own family time.
Home-bound gatherings can become something unique and memorable, using ourselves, our talents and our life experience to create a holiday season that won’t be forgotten. In fact, some of the things we do to make it through, without all that we knew from holidays past, may find their way into celebrations in our futures. It’s easy to talk about cliché silver linings but ultimately how we conduct ourselves in our own bubbles impacts how others around us will respond and accept that it’s more important to follow one simple ‘rule’ - wear a mask. COVID is scary; we all know this and those of us who are considered ‘at risk’ must be extra vigilant.
Pandemic ‘down time’ is a perfect opportunity to embrace the value and joy of reading; quietly reading on ones own, reading to young children, or reading to seniors who appreciate the time spent, human to human to share a good story.
COVID confinement presents a host of stressors that have impacted the very young to the very old with days seeming to run into each other with the ‘sameness’ of routine. Lost is the out and about business in small villages and larger communities, which contributes to enhanced quality of life. This down time has been particularly challenging for seniors, especially those who live with any sort of illness/unwellness that already diminishes community participation. The isolation is palpable. Holiday time when families, large or small, gather to share a few days together, with traditional meals prepared with many hands are not going to be possible in this time of COVID unless people are vigilant about mask wearing, distancing and quarantining after a ‘bubble banter’.
More common in the US, but a concern here in Canada is that schools opened with various COVID protocols in place and things chugged along fine for awhile until one or two ‘bad apples’ derailed everything with essentially a toddler tantrum. Adults, parents of children who must be in school, however it is formed in these times, must stop being so thoughtless. The minor inconvenience of wearing a mask when not able to socially distance is the least we can do to keep each other and our community healthy and safe. To view mask wearing as a violation of one’s rights is a form of abuse against community. Sadly, there are some among us who spent their entire lives thinking only of themselves, now giving no thought to the reality that COVID impacts everyone — all of us!
There is so much that we can do to get through these uncertain times. Though there are many places in this province and others across the country that are not part of the information highway, the internet is a tool that allows for a type of connection that can contribute to stabilizing emotional health of those most at risk; the chronically shut-in. Reach out and tweet someone!
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell
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