Day 50: Trivia Night

50 days in quarantine...this is definitely not what I imagined when I first bought my 2020 planner last fall. My schedules have been written and rewritten, crossed out and penciled over because...well, because that is what planners are for. Sure, we did not predict that a coronavirus pandemic would hit this year, but in terms of plans being cancelled or rescheduled...isn't that how life goes sometimes?

I know so many people (including myself) feel like we need to be "making the most" of this "down time" while we have it. That it is a gift. There are moments for me where that is absolutely true...and an equal number of moments that this is not a gift, it is a disease, and rather than making the most of it, I am struggling to perform daily tasks because this is an overwhelming and frightening time.

You don't have to pick.

It simply can't be one or the other, for most people. This is "unprecedented"...there is a very good reason that we are calling this a "novel" time as it is new to all of us and that opens all of us up to wide range of emotional responses. For those of you who are able to get up, put on a new outfit and soldier on, I see you. For those of you who are struggling just to take a shower at regular intervals, I see you too.

I believe that when we look back on this time there will only be a few questions I have for myself (please check back with me in a decade or so):

How did I sit with myself in the stillness?

How did I bring kindness to myself and other people?

Did I always try my best?

Hang in there my friends, and together we can ride this thing out. I promise.

Tonight my family and I are participating in a charity trivia competition with a local government representative and actor Bradley Whitford for West Wing Trivia. We are looking forward to time together and celebrating all the ways we are able to connect. Wish us luck!

Prepare, don't panic.

-Allison