"My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Author: The Great Kaysby
I’m a wife, mother, daughter, cat lover, believer in Him and His word, teacher, beauty consultant, actress, costumer, and avid volunteer. 👩🏻🦰 My biggest gift in life is how I can still experience the world with childlike wonder as an adult. 🤩 I love winning, prizes, shiny objects, travel, food, and games! I use emojis way too much but they make me happy! 😊
9:20 am and I already have in 4,171 steps. Trust me, that very rarely happens. In fact, it only happens when I wake up and work out. Which if I recall correctly, the last time I truly woke up and worked out was my trip to MK Seminar in July 2018. Back then, I was doing it for an energy increase. Today, I did it as part of the Adult Summer Reading Challenge!
Guess what? The source of motivation doesn’t matter. What matters is how great I feel post workout! I feel ready to take on the day! I feel capable of doing it again! I also feel like I need a shower! 😂 Most importantly, getting up and doing Zumba gives me a feeling of accomplishment!
I hope that you get some of those same feelings today! For now, I’m zoom, zoom, zooming to the shower!
Admit it. You like instant gratification. I’ll admit that I do, and I think this is why I like gardening. I find it very satisfying to get out in the flower bed and tend to it. There’s something especially satisfying about pulling weeds! For me, the satisfaction comes from instantly being able to see a difference between where I’ve started and paused or finished. I love anything where I can visually see progress!
My raised flower bed has been part of our house for seven years. My dad helped us build it, and maintaining it has been a family endeavor. Last year, it went untended because LilKsby was only two weeks old at this time. Needless to say, Mr Kisby and I were a little preoccupied. This year, it’s back to being a family endeavor.
Yesterday, LilKsby watched as I tended the flower bed. I took it as a time to tell him about invasive species which I know technically Morning Glory isn’t, but man it sure takes over! I also told him about sunflowers and my grandma from Kansas. I told him about my grandma from here and how she always had the most beautiful flower beds. He mostly spilled his water all over himself, but I like to think he enjoyed my stories.
Today, I went out by myself while Mr Kisby played with LilKsby. It was therapeutic to be there and taking care of the flower bed in silence. I did my best to clean up around my phlox which has gone wild without uprooting too much of it. I also envisioned a beautiful way to fill more of it since most of the plants are gone. There was something peaceful about being in the flower bed. 🥰
I hope that everyone has something that brings them similar peace!
I meant to wake up for Zumba this morning. “I meant to” is one of the worst phrases in the English language because it always has something behind it that didn’t happen. It can be trivial: “I meant to put the toilet seat down.” It can be inconvenient: “I meant to pack your toothbrush, but I forgot.” (I still haven’t lived that one down, and it has been 11 years.) It can also be serious: “I meant to pay the electric bill.” Luckily, just missing Zumba simply means I overslept and missed out on exercise.
Do you ever find yourself thinking about things you meant to do? Do you ever find yourself kicking yourself because you didn’t do them? I think this pandemic is a perfect time for thinking about things you meant to do and planning to do some of them. For example, you could plan a vacation you’ve been meaning to take! You could read that book that you’ve been meaning to read! You could clean out the closet you’ve been meaning to organize! There are all kinds of things you could do that fall in the “I meant to” category.
Need an example?
I’m finally learning guitar, blogging more, reading more, taking time for movies (usually in the background while doing something else), spending time outside more, and improving my baking skills. All of these had fallen in the “I meant to” category for a long time! None of these are serious, but they are all things I’ve enjoyed which is important!
What are you finally doing that you used to always say “I meant to”?
Today, I got a little over zealous with getting things done! We woke up after not getting enough sleep and went at 110% until we crashed for a 3 hour nap. Me and LilKsby both slept through dinner! I’d say the nap was earned. After all, we got up and got ready, attended our first Virtual Baby and Me class (to which I now know you’re supposed to bring maracas), did Virtual Get Ready Camp, played, read books together (got to get those badges), baked, ran an errand, and ate. I also worked my Mary Kay business virtually in there, cleaned litter, did dishes, froze breastmilk, and read my own book. Wow…now that I look at it, no wonder we both needed a nap.
That’s part of my personality. I have a tendency to do stuff, do stuff, do stuff, and then I crash and need a nap (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally). This tendency is why I think one of my biggest self improvement needs is time management. I need to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Tomorrow we will strive to do less. We will see how it goes! Until then, I’m ready for nap round two. Although at this time of a night that just means going to bed!
A notable television character used to frequently say, “Challenge accepted!” That character was the notorious womanizer Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. I may not understand a lot of the characters motivations, but I do get this competitive mentality. National Sales Director Emeritus Linda Toupin always referred to this as the 4-H Mentality. She always talked about how being in 4-H taught her to learn skills, set goals, and strive to win a blue ribbon. I was never in 4-H, but I was in enough youth sports, art fairs, performance art competitions, etc to understand how motivating being competitive can be!
Fast forward to now…
I still love a competition! Which is why I’m super excited about Adult Summer Reading! I literally discovers it less than 24 hours ago, and I’m super excited! The idea is to get a bingo on the card your print and submit it for a chance at prizes! How fun is that? I can’t wait to have a chance to win for doing something I already enjoy! Plus, it has introduced me to other fun events through the public library!
Something else I love because of my competitive nature? Virtual badges! I pushed myself to earn several tech ones during NTI for a competition and earned the prize! I don’t just get excited about virtual badges for me. I get excited when I see a coworkers achievements from their badges! I got super excited today when LilKsby earned 7 badges in one day for Pre-Reader Summer Reading!
I feel like in a lot of ways my competitive nature is one of my strongest traits. Being competitive can show determination and grit. It can also help you to learn the art of losing which I also think is important! Plus, when I’m competing, I feel that I have some of my best mental health! Can’t beat that!
Now for a little personal competition that is part of the summer reading! Five days in a row of journaling (I’m choosing to use my blog). Let’s see if I can do it! Get ready for five days of me and my randomness!
As a teacher, I’m very used to having a set schedule that I have to follow. The bell rings at time X. First block begins at time Y, second block begins at time Z, and this pattern continues until the final bell to go home at the end of the day. After school, I have a set routine to follow based on the day, I go to bed around the same time, and I get up the next morning and do it all over again. In a lot of ways, life during the school year becomes like the directions on the back of the shampoo bottle: “Rinse, lather, repeat; rinse, lather, repeat.”
Given the grind of each day, you may think, “Man, I bet she loves Summer Break and having nothing she has to do.” Having nothing to do sounds good on paper. So does being able to stay up until all hours and sleep as late as I want (maybe I’m an overgrown teenager at heart). However, do you know what I’ve learned about myself as I’ve grown as a person (grown as a person sounds more positive than gotten older)? I’m like a fish out of water when I don’t have something that I have to do.
If I don’t have a to do list or an event to look forward to, I find myself sitting around either waiting for someone to entertain me, wasting a lot of time in my recliner, or driving Mr Kisby crazy with “Whatcha doing?” or “What’s your plan for the day?” I bet I ask the second one at least twice a day on average. When you’re so used to your days having to be structured, it can be really hard to have a lot of free time. That’s why I find myself having to have “To Do” lists even during summer to feel like I’ve been productive. Some days my “To Do” list might be simple like “Scoop Litter” and “Pay Bill X”, but there is something about that list that makes my day a million times better. For me, it is the intrinsic satisfaction that comes from checking something off the list. Plus, I love the visual of a completed list. Nothing to me is more freeing than looking at that completed list. It’s almost like the completed list is a ticket to fun and goofing off by doing things like wasting time in the recliner!
I also thrive on having events/activities to look forward to. For example, I’m super excited about starting Virtual Get Ready Camp and Summer Reading with LilKsby this week. I’m thrilled that for like an hour 4 or 5 days a week that we’re going to have a planned activity. Having these helps me to feel like we’re accomplishing something. Then when we’re done, we can spend the rest of the day sitting in his baby pool! Well, he can sit in it, and I can sit in my camp chair and make faces at him. 🙂 I also thrive on having vacations to look forward too. In some ways, I enjoy planning the vacation (aka looking at pretty pictures of things to do and going “ooo, ahh”) as much as going on the vacation. I’m truly a happier, more productive (and easier to be around) when I have a “to do” list and things to look forward to doing.
Now, all of this said. I do enjoy staying up late and sleeping until 9 or 10 every morning. Frankly, I’m proud that I’ve seemed to be able to get LilKsby to accept this routine as well. I also enjoy the occasional day when to quote Bruno Mars, “Today I don’t feel like doing anything/I just wanna lay in my bed”. However, for the most part I need an outline for the day to keep from driving those around me bananas. You know what? I’m finally at a place in life where I’m okay with that, and it doesn’t bother me to not be more spontaneous. I hope you too can find that peace.
Today, I had to go to work. I don’t say that as a complaint given that I have been fortunate enough to be able to teach from home since March 17. I say it as a fact. Going in the school today was very surreal. Due to Covid-19 there are new protocols that must be followed: temperature checks when entering, masking wearing, staying six feet from co-workers, limiting the number of people in the school, etc.
The day began with parking in the front of the building in an area that on a normal day would be filled with buses dropping students off for school. Today on a “normal” day, the students would have been jumping over puddles (okay, even in high school some would have been jumping in them). There would’ve been the buzz of chatter about what everyone did over the weekend and groans about having to get up early and come to school. Instead, there were teachers running through the pouring rain to get to the line at the front door. Then, there was a line of teachers spaced six feet from the next, wearing masks, and waiting to get their temperature checked to determine if they could enter the building or had to go home. As an adult, I understand the necessity of the new protocol. From the perspective of a student, I could see how it would be terrifying.
From a young age, we are taught that school should be somewhere we feel safe; school should be somewhere that we feel like someone cares about us. For me, it is hard to fathom how kids could feel either of those when they can’t come close to a teacher to tell them something in confidence, or a mask has to be worn hiding facial expressions. I also cannot imagine how kids can foster an environment of developing social skills and friendships when they have to remain six feet from one another. Imagine, having lunch and having to sit six feet from your friends. There won’t be any swapping your chocolate milk with someone for their chocolate chip cookie!
Beyond lunch, I think about how many kids like to share with one another. They share phones, games, iPads, clothes, etc. Most of them naturally have something that they want to share with someone else. Now we have to tell them, “No, Johnny, don’t share with Susie. Yes, it’s polite, but there is a pandemic.” On the plus side, this could help with PDA problems.
I feel like today was just a taste of the future for teachers. I believe that it was a tiny insight into what the coming school year could – emphasis on could – be like for us and our students. Do you want the truth? On a lot of levels, it is heartbreaking. Most of us who went into teaching entered the profession because we care about people namely kids. We want to be there for them as a mentor and educator. We’ve done our best this spring through NTI, and we’ve put on brave faces as we’ve done Google Meets and videos for our kids. However, on the inside our hearts were breaking wondering about our students. Are they okay at home? Are they eating? Are they healthy? Do they have all the necessities? Seeing them in our classrooms each day was sometimes the only way these questions could be answered. Returning to school will alleviate some of that heartache, but I feel like it is going to open us up to a whole new set of emotions if things aren’t “normal”.
I applaud all of those who are having to make difficult decisions right now that impact our students. My hat is off to principals, superintendents, school boards, state department of education workers, and anyone else in decision making capacities. You are making decisions that no one could’ve ever told you that you would be making. When we were all getting our various degrees there was no class called “Dealing with a Pandemic 101”. And though the future may taste bittersweet, I know that you all are doing what is best for our students as a whole. Thank you for that.
To all of our students, don’t be scared about the future. Even if we are behind masks, we’re still here for you.
In one hour it will be my 37th birthday! To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. My birthday is definitely my second favorite holiday. I love cake! I love a reason to be with family and friends! I love presents! Most of all, I love celebrating another year here on earth living a life of abundance!
I have to say looking back, that 36 has been one of the best years ever! Some may think, “But Kaysby, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic! In fact, the last two month of your 36th year have been spent social distancing and in pretty much complete isolation with Mr Kisby and LilKsby!” That’s two months of time that I’ve gotten to spend with my AMAZING baby almost 24/7 (seriously I’ve been away from him for maybe two hours) and my hubby (who I don’t just love but also like to be around)!
Plus, some of the greatest things ever have happened while 36! Here are the highlights:
We had a baby! LilKsby has the distinction of being born when I was 36 just as I was born when my dad was 36. Also, the three of us are all Tauruses who were born in the Year of the Pig. How fun is that?
The three of us got to spend A LOT of time together! You know what? We love our little family, and we wouldn’t trade the togetherness for the world!
We got to see some of the best of Broadway by going to Hamilton and Jesus Christ Superstar. Bonus? We also got to watch Jesus Christ Superstar again on Andrew Lloyd Weber’s YouTube channel!
We traveled with LilKsby! He won’t remember it, but I’ll always remember playing with him in hotel pools! I’m so glad that he loves water just like his mama!
We got to celebrate several holidays before and after quarantine began: Halloween, Not-So-Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, a wedding, and birthdays.
We got to get some of the best family pictures ever made with Elcara Photography!
We’ve tried new things like baking a cake from scratch and learning guitar.
We’ve virtually visited museums and amusement parks!
We’ve finally taken time to do little things around the house that there never seemed to be time to complete.
We’ve supported causes near and dear to our hearts!
We’ve taken more time for things we enjoy like creating art, blogging, playing games, and having family movie nights! The last of these is why I’ve finally seen the first three Indiana Jones movies and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that have been released thus far!
I’ve taken time to read! Books are great!
We’ve taken more time to attend church in person and virtually – especially virtually!
There’s more greatness that I know I just can’t think of right now! 36 has been that great of a year! I hope that 37 will be just as great, and that next year when it is 31 minutes until my birthday, I’ll be finishing another blog about another great year!
To everyone else having a birthday today, tomorrow, or soon, I hope that you can reflect and realize that your year has been great even if there were struggles along the way (after all no road is ever perfectly paved)! Find joy in the little things, and live by your priorities! Love life! Here’s to 37!
I love to paint, but I’m not a skilled artist. I’ve been to just enough paint and sip parties to call myself a dabbler. I’ve bought canvases, paints, and tools so that I can paint (and sip) at home. Back in February, I decided to host a paint night, and I was determined that I was going to paint a gnome. I knew I couldn’t do it without looking some ideas up online, but I was determined!
Determination led to looking at a lot of pictures of gnome paintings on Google Images. I eventually found a picture of the one above while searching “Gnome Sweet Gnome”, and I decided that this was the gnome I was going to paint. Step one was figuring out how I was going to get the gnome from the picture on my phone to the canvas. In the past, I had printed out the object I planned to paint and traced it onto the canvas. This time that didn’t seem like the best course of action. This led to deciding that I was going to have to attempt drawing it by hand (also not a big skill of mine). Long story short, I drew the gnome by hand, and painted it all myself! The end result was the gnome in the picture above.
So what is the point of my little gnome story?
The first point to my gnome story is that you never know what you can achieve if you don’t try. It would’ve been really easy to have talked myself out of attempting to draw and paint my gnome based on my previous perceptions about my artistic ability. This time I didn’t talk myself out of trying, and I am still amazed two months later at the gnome that I created myself!
The second point to my gnome story is that great joy can be found in the simplest things. When I look at my gnome painting, I can’t help but smile. I think it is important for all of us to having something that we can look at and smile every time we look at it. This thing could be a picture of a vacation, a ticket stub from a movie, a favorite book cover, etc. What the object is doesn’t matter; what matters is the feeling of joy that it provides.
Those are the points of my gnome story. What’s your gnome story?
First and foremost, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that your academic school year was cut short; however, I’m more sorry that you missed out on all of the extra events that school provides which you cannot find anywhere else. I’m sorry that you missed out on baseball and softball games, tennis matches, spring formals, senior proms, awards ceremonies, graduations, breakfasts and lunches with friends, and last day good-byes. How could you have known on your last day in March that you should’ve said, “See you next year” instead of “Have a good weekend”? Personally, as a teacher, I wish I would’ve said a lot more on March 12 than what I said: “Have a good weekend.” (We were on a scheduled day off on March 13 when the NTI news came.) I feel for every student who has missed out during the last 6 weeks, but for those who were somehow a piece of the Class of 2020 puzzle, here are some special notes for you.
Pre-School and Kindergarten Class of 2020: In a lot of ways you are the luckiest of the Classes of 2020. If you’re like me, then by the time you’re 30, you won’t remember a lot of Pre-School and Kindergarten. To this day, the only parts I remember of Kindergarten graduation were the blow up stegosaurus and song about PBJ. My biggest hope for you is that when you get to return to school you still have a passion for whatever was your favorite part of school. If you loved reading time, I hope you still love reading time. If you loved art or PE, I hope you are still as creative or physically active when you go back to school.
5th Grade and 8th Grade Class of 2020: Having gone to elementary and middle school many moons ago, I didn’t have a graduation ceremony when making these transitions. However, I understand why you’re upset about missing yours. First of all, you are missing out on saying good-bye to the place where you’ve grown up. For 5th graders, you’re not getting to say good-bye to the place that took you from being a little child to a pre-teen. Everything that has been so familiar to you for 6 years will be replaced with something new and unfamiliar. That’s scary. For 8th graders, you’re not getting to say good-bye to the place that took you from pre-teen to teen. Middle school is only a brief time period, but so much happens in middle school that starts to shape the person you are going to be as an adult. Middle school is a time of physical changes, emotional changes, and a lot of friendship changes yet there is still the safety net of childhood. You’re about to find yourself in a world where credits matter, career pathways are emphasized, and college is talked about from day one. I’m sorry that you missed out on two months of being the big fish in your small pond. I promise that even though you’re going to go back to being a little fish in a bigger pond, you will eventually be the big fish again. I hope that when you go to either middle or high school that you’re not scared of the change. I hope that you go into your new school with a positive attitude ready to take on the world!
Senior Class of 2020: I’m so sorry. You’ve been robbed. You’ve been robbed of experiences that you will never get to replace: prom, getting your yearbook signed, graduation photos, traditional graduation, Project Grad, graduation parties, and even a final summer of fun freedom. I know there are no words that are currently going to make you feel better about these losses, and I cannot begin to imagine how you feel about missing out on everything. I may have hated my own high school graduation (it was outside with 40 degree weather and raining, and girls had to wear see through white gowns), but there was so much about the end of my senior year that I loved. There was fun with friends that I still think of and find myself laughing about! I’m so sorry that you’re missing out on that. If I had a magic wand that I could wave and make all of this change for you, then I would wave it in a heartbeat. My hope for you is that you are one day able to look back on all this and see a silver lining. I hope that you’re finding ways to connect with your friends and teachers. I hope that you are still finding ways to celebrate victories such as earning scholarships, getting accepted to college, and maintaining desired GPAs. I hope that you know you are loved by your parents, friends, family members, teachers, and countless others who don’t even know you but are wishing you well. I hope you know that there are generous people who want to bless you if you’ll open your heart to them. I hope that you don’t let this experience negatively impact the course of your life.
College Graduates of 2020: You all are in an interesting situation. For one, a lot of your classes already do the majority of their work online even if they also have in person meetings. For two, attending your graduation ceremony is optional. (Of the three degrees that I earned, I only went to the graduation ceremony for one of them.) That said, you are still missing out on some valuable experiences during your last semester of college. For a lot of degrees, the last semester is when you student teach or do internships or field work which you’ve had to miss out on completing. This means you’ve missed out on valuable work experience that helps with your resume and post graduation job search. Additionally, you’ve missed out on a lot of the last semester help that you’re adviser can give you. For those seeking an advanced degree, you’re missing out on planning time with an adviser; for those seeking immediate employment, you’re missing out on job searching with an adviser. My hope for you is that you will find yourself successful in your next endeavor!
I want to leave you with the video that I always play for my kids at the end of the school year. I hope that you will find some advice in it that will help you in laugh or at least get a laugh.
In the last 34 days, I’ve left the house 5 times maybe 6 to do activities other than walk around the neighborhood. I had to go to work one day, picked up an online grocery order once, went for a drive and lunch pick up, and picked up dinner twice. I’ve cried more than I’ve ever cried especially out of being deeply moved by the kindness and generosity of others. But most importantly, I’ve spent tons of time with Mr Kisby and LilKsby that I wouldn’t have otherwise! ❤️ This is my favorite part of social distancing/corona-quarantine, and I can honestly say that at 34 days and counting boredom is nowhere in sight!
So far I have or we have:
Watched a lot of TV (often just as background noise) including: Full House, Fuller House, Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World, Nailed It, Hart of Dixie, Onward, and Inside Out.
Baked cookies
Learned to make bread from a starter
Cooked more than ever (seriously, we had an eating out problem)
Cleaned
Napped
Learned how to work from home
Painted my nails
Given a haircut
Played board games
Taken Udemy classes for fun
Started to learn guitar from YouTube
Worshipped virtually
Visited with family virtually
Played video games
Created art projects
Played with toys
Read books
I’m sure we’ve done more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment! The good news is there is still a lot we can do without getting bored! The best news is that we’ve gotten time together we wouldn’t have had otherwise!!! FYI…if it wasn’t for the pandemic, then I may not have seen LilKsby’s first steps or been there when he started to say, “Dada”. Those have been the best moments!
I hope that you’re finding things to do during this time at home and enjoying it. I’d love to know your favorite things!
“We will get through this. We will get through this together.” – Gov Andy Beshear, everyday at 5 pm
March 1, 2020
March 1 – 28 days ago – we were driving home from attending a wedding. It was a great trip, so great that we talked about going back for Spring Break at the end of the month. If you would’ve asked me on that car ride home what we’d be doing in four weeks, then never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the answer would be social distancing and finding a new normal amid a pandemic.
Yet here we are…
We find ourselves in a new situation where every tickle in your throat has you wondering if shortness of breath is soon to follow, or if the warm feeling is because it’s hot out, or you have a fever. We find ourselves hearing about toilet paper hoarding and sections of grocery stores being desolate. When we have to be out, we’re supposed to be no closer than 6 feet from anyone else. If we don’t have to be out, then we need to be home. #healthyathome is trending, which is great because it means people are following directions, and a new normal is developing all over the globe.
My new normal truly started on March 17, the day we began teaching school online from home. The last two weeks of NTI days have been the hardest two weeks in my teaching career work wise. I’ve had to learn a whole new bag of tricks while trying my best to be just as effective virtually as I am in the classroom! I’m very thankful that I have an awesome PLC for support.
Teaching from home aside, regular home life has been different too. There’s been very little face to face contact with the outside world. When there has been, it’s been either passing folks while going for a walk or the people working hard to make necessity pick up happen. We’ve become accustomed to seeing family virtually each day instead of in person. We’re cooking meals more than ever, and I’ve not watched this much television since having the flu twice in 2018! (Sidebar: binge watching Boy Meets World was AMAZING!)
But do you know what else has happened?
We’ve come to love our governor!
LilKsby clapped for the first time!
I’ve gotten more sweet baby snuggles than I ever dreamed possible!
I’ve realized how much fun can be had without leaving the house!
We’ve just sat and talked!
I’ve gotten the recommended amount of sleep frequently!
It hasn’t all been bad! We’re adapting to this new normal, and we’ll continue to do so. We will continue to try and be the best people we can in this odd situation. Will there be tough days? Yup! Will there be moments of anxiety? Yup! We’re still human after all! But those are just moments, and we’re working to win the long game!
“…it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person…” F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Since the beginning of self-isolation and social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I’ve been wanting to write; however, I’ve not been sure of what to write. Then, Friday it was nice out, and we went for a family walk. Before we came back in the house, I checked the rear of the house for storm damage from the previous night. That’s when I passed my flowerbed and saw the tiny bloom on my phlox. In that moment, I knew what to write about: hope.
As we are in the midst of a global pandemic, the media is full of gloom and doom. Yet if you look for it, there are signs of hope in the media. Here are some that I think need to be shared:
Two of the elderly at the nursing home in Washington where so many have died fully recovered.
Two of the people diagnosed in Kentucky have fully recovered (perhaps more by now)
People are doing the kindest things for the elderly in assisted living and nursing homes like putting up bird feeders outside their windows
People are finding alternate ways to visit while maintaining social distance
Andy Beshear is leading our state by showing how much he cares for the people
China (as of yesterday) has had no new mainland cases for 3 days
Last week, our local school district delivered 26,911 meals to school age children and elderly/at risk communities members
Government is coming together to help those facing unemployment, loss of health care, etc.
Groups of people are coming together to raise funds and deliver meals to those in need.
All of these example have helped me to have hope during this pandemic. I not only have hope for health, I also have hope that we will come out of this stronger. I have hope that we will come out of this as better people who are generally more caring. I have hope that our planet will come out in better shape because people are using less resources. I have hope that everyone else can see the silver lining in this cloud!
I’d love to know how you are seeing hope! Share in the comments!
“…it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person…” F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Since the beginning of self-isolation and social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I’ve been wanting to write; however, I’ve not been sure of what to write. Then, Friday it was nice out, and we went for a family walk. Before we came back in the house, I checked the rear of the house for storm damage from the previous night. That’s when I passed my flowerbed and saw the tiny bloom on my phlox. In that moment, I knew what to write about: hope.
As we are in the midst of a global pandemic, the media is full of gloom and doom. Yet if you look for it, there are signs of hope in the media. Here are some that I think need to be shared:
Two of the elderly at the nursing home in Washington where so many have died fully recovered.
Two of the people diagnosed in Kentucky have fully recovered (perhaps more by now)
People are doing the kindest things for the elderly in assisted living and nursing homes like putting up bird feeders outside their windows
People are finding alternate ways to visit while maintaining social distance
Andy Beshear is leading our state by showing how much he cares for the people
China (as of yesterday) has had no new mainland cases for 3 days
Last week, our local school district delivered 26,911 meals to school age children and elderly/at risk communities members
Government is coming together to help those facing unemployment, loss of health care, etc.
Groups of people are coming together to raise funds and deliver meals to those in need.
All of these example have helped me to have hope during this pandemic. I not only have hope for health, I also have hope that we will come out of this stronger. I have hope that we will come out of this as better people who are generally more caring. I have hope that our planet will come out in better shape because people are using less resources. I have hope that everyone else can see the silver lining in this cloud!
I’d love to know how you are seeing hope! Share in the comments!
This week I’ve been at the theatre for tech week and performances of Little Women the Musical. My school Drama Club is performing it, and I’ve been helping with costuming. It’s a classic, heartwarming tale that makes you feel the love of family and believe in the ability to make your dreams come true. It has been a joy to be a part of this production not only because of the immense talent of our cast and crew, but also because of the memories it brings back of my high school production of Little Women years ago.
The year was 1999, which I like to think of as the year of the Millennium album, and I had desperately wanted to play Beth because I had red hair like Claire Danes. I wasn’t cast as Beth, but I did play Belle at the ball and help with props. The role was fun to play and the costume was the best as I have a love of 1860s dresses. However, the best part was my best friends – Scarlet and Lily*- were also involved with the show.
Scarlet and I first met when we were 12 because her grandfather worked with my dad. We reconnected in school especially through choir and drama club. As freshman we had both been in the stage version of Awakenings. We enjoyed it so much that when Little Women rolled around the next year, we wanted to participate. We found ourselves involved in the cast, set design/construction, and prop design/construction. We were so involved that we even spent to school during some of our Spring Break and worked on the show! All of our hardwork earned us the Director’s Award for the club that year.
Lily and I first met in middle school and have remained friends since bonding over things like Kentucky basketball namely Scott Padgett, amusement parks, and the Backstreet Boys! Our sophomore year, Lily decided to join us on the tech crew and help with props. I loved having my two best friends work on a show with me! There’s a picture of us standing on the stage – me in my teal dress, Scarlet in her brown dress, and Lily in a shirt and shorts – after one of the performances that I can see perfectly in my mind. I’m not sure where the picture is, but it brings a smile to my face to think about.
We were little women ourselves working on Little Women, and now we’re big women (age wise not size). Each of us are accomplished academically, career, and/or talent wise. We’ve been blessed with new people that have come into our lives and mourned loss together (seriously because between June 2010 and March 2011 we lost five grandparents between the three of us). Today, even though we are separated by distance, we’ve been there for each other for marriages, miscarriage, childbirth, and more (thanks technology)! In some ways we’ve been there for the typical wedding vows: “In sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer.”
Without my little women – Scarlet and Lily -I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m forever thankful for them. They’ll always be the sisters I never had!
The Great Kaysby 