What are you doing out there anyway?

What are you doing out there anyway?

Sometimes, I just want to exchange pleasantries with a stranger at a gas station pump

Browse the local authors shelf at a library I’ll never go into again

Collect acorns that look so different from the ones on my street, but will sprout into magnificent oak trees nonetheless

Watch a sunrise over a different urban roofline

Order beignets instead of crullers

This time, we couldn't stop staring at the bridges

Marveling at how many there are, in every direction, crossing ravines and valleys, bays and marshes

Wondering if they were new or just recently painted

Holding a collective breath as we crossed, and they held fast every time,

Safe passage through our curiosity

Home looks different through traveler’s eyes

That scent will hit you when you turn the key and open the door for the first time in a week, a month, a year.

But pay close attention, because it only stands out for a few short minutes.

You can see your life as a stranger would, which mostly ignites gratitude, but may also spur you to finally patch that crack in the back stoop, move the chair to a better spot by the window, exchange pleasantries with a neighbor you’ve known for a decade at the gas station down the block. Bask in familiarity. Appreciate that the market has your favorite brand of milk. Enjoy the incremental change of a sunset from the same spot each evening.

So what am I doing out there anyway? Is it for the adventure or the homecoming?

A Year of Experimentation and Recovery

2021-2022 school year was pretty wild. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and repeating, "You are on time for whatever the universe has in store for you." Sometimes it felt like we were standing still, stuck in a weird loop, Groundhog Day-style. Other times it felt like life was changing way too fast, and that all the stuff that happened last summer was just a dream. 

We gave the kids a huge amount of free time and autonomy this year, with mixed results. Everybody learned and grew enough, and I am entirely unworried about that aspect. They also made a lot of friends, which was probably one of our biggest goals. Managing social time continues to be a challenge with the pandemic. I appreciated the very clear communication that our homeschool groups have around this issue. People have varying degrees of risk tolerance and everyone seems really respectful of this. The culture is to be very transparent about your possible exposures and allow people the opportunity to give consent to the contact they want to have with you. Often times this meant gathering outside and wearing masks. I miss having people over for tacos, though. Or spontaneous visits from neighbors for a cup of coffee. Nobody stops by unannounced.

The main downside to the autonomy was a chaotic home environment. We had a lot of friction over chores and use of computer/game systems. Our kids do a lot of things together, but they are three years apart, so there are definitely differences in what they can each contribute. For instance, Max cannot reach inside the washing machine to get the clothes out without basically falling in. Laurel can use the oven safely. Marko is the most awake in the morning. He doesn't get up super early, but is extremely efficient in getting things done within a few minutes of waking. 

We have taken Rest seriously this year, leaving Sunday as a day free from work and in general giving people the option to stay home or sleep more or read in bed or whatever they feel like they need, listening to their own bodies. I have seen a big shift in M taking days off running or sleeping in or playing video games after work or whatever he needs to do to chill out instead of always pushing himself. 

I'm about to do some planning for the next school year, which will actually just sort of roll over on July 1 without much notice to anyone, because the further we sink into this home education thing the less we pay attention to things like "school year" or "grade level."