366 Wonder Days Shared in 2020 — Now you can join me!
The past two days were hard. The pandemic thing is probably the core reason. Focusing on wonder was more difficult but there was wonder in driving. I don’t have a photo. But I needed ten minutes of alone time to just drive.
I headed west, out of our tiny town. And I felt like I was leaving my own act in The Truman Show, except this world we are living in is not fiction.
Photo of B “driving.”
Two dishes: sweet Italian Turkey sausage with onions and peppers and thick red sauce: skillet gnocchi with lemon, pesto, grilled artichoke, sweet peas.
Just walked 35 miles in 7 days!
Cheers!
We have moved to taking over Mom’s slippers
Here is what I wrote about finishing gear two. It’s a wonder I made it (ha). I wanted to finish today because it marked another year finishing on Cinco De Mayo.
SECOND YEAR of the PhD: complete ✅
Just turned in my second Final Portfolio amidst a global pandemic while being thrust into the role of a full-time stay at home mom. If this season has taught me anything, it’s that I can work quicker and more efficiently than I think. It’s taught me to enjoy what I cannot control, too. Being with Bennett so much has been like a second maternity leave.
And I have good news, which feels weird to share during this time. But I love seeing others’ good news, so I’ll share some too in pleasant spirits:
When I deliriously applied to a PhD program as a new mother (and I only applied to one, this one), I never imagined I’d get to work and create with such a talented, caring, passionate, and dedicated group of people. I didn’t know what my life would look like when I became a mom, but it’s helped me see all the potential I didn’t even know I had. I’m grateful to my son and husband and our families and friends who support us. And I say “us” because this has always been a team effort. Thank YOU for supporting me, and let me know how I can better support and serve you. 💖🍾
Photo: reflecting that this is all coming from a global pandemic & stay at home order with a messy kitchen behind me. May we never forget what we made it through.
Nick signed up for The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee, a 1,000k, about 600 miles to complete by August 31st. Exactly four months. We started on Friday and so far we are 15 miles in. The average one will do to keep up is a about 5 miles each day.
Bennett and I plan to do as many as the miles as we can with him. I wonder how far we will get!
Not quite an enchantment. But a wonder: when will it end, 2020? When will this end?
We are approaching the end of week 7, beginning week 8 of quarantine in this pandemic. Our town in Stillwater, OK was supposed to slowly reopen with masks being mandatory to be worn in public and stores. However, within 3 hours of this regulation, some people in the town got angry, even using guns to threaten stores for not letting them enter without a mask. The whole thing is irresponsible. The mayor reacted to this revolt with revoking the mandatory mask-wearing rule to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Only after a few hours.
Such a strange time to be a part of history. A woman yelled at Nick at the veterinarian’s office, “I’m not going to get you sick!” She was mask-less. Too bad she doesn’t know masks also protect her. A different part of the world, here, everywhere. Many people are upset, though, not just us. Today’s wonder may seem trivial. A fuzzy fast caterpillar. But maybe trivial is what we need.
How high can we go?
Wonder Year: A journey to find enchantment every day 