Most mornings, I am the first up in my home. My early mornings are always sacred. They are a guarantee of time for introspection, through reading, writing, prayer, composition and at times catching up with friends on the other side of the world. During the regular school year, right about the time when everyone is waking up, I am getting my work clothes on, looking for my motorcycle keys and sneaking one last sip of coffee before zooming into Shishi for a day away from the family. Thanks to COVID-19, my late mornings now consist of cooking with my boys! Pancakes with blueberries, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, sprinkles, maple syrup and melted butter are somehow a favorite we now have time to enjoy making and munching on together!
After that, it's time to start thinking about lunch. I have always enjoyed cooking, but time has always made it tricky to really enjoy trying out new recipes in the kitchen. During the regular school year, cooking with the boys usually only happens on the weekend. Thanks to COVID-19, we are trying out new recipes daily! Our diet is healthier and tastier as we have been able to add new recipes to our bag of tricks.
Eating lunch together! Not only has our diet improved throughout these COVID-19 times, but also the time we take to sit down and eat together. Gosh, I am going to miss lunch with the family when we get back to school. What a blessing to sit down, each day, hold hands, say thanks and enjoy some laughs while eat together!
After cleaning up, it is time to sit back and read! Having more time to read is another blessing brought about by the COVID-19. Our older son, Owen Jazz, has become a fully independent reader. Since the virus outbreak he has moved through 5 out of 7 books from the Harry Potter series. Though I miss cuddling with him, we are proud of his growth. Thank goodness, his little brother still likes Daddy reading to him. Nothing like hanging a hammock and cuddling in for an after lunch read.
Then, it is time for Dad to get back to some Dad stuff. Thanks to COVID-19, I have been able to reconnect with music. Writing and recording songs is something I have always loved, but in the busyness of the school year, I struggle to find time for. (See video embedded below for a new project born over the Covidays alongside fellow teacher: Javier Lastres.)
In the evenings, we all come together again for a board game, night walk, a movie, a tarot reading or some songs and stories. Again, none of this would be possible without the COVID-19 outbreak. And so, though I know for many families, elsewhere, this has been a very difficult time of sickness and even death, we have been blessed by a local government that has kept our village clear of the virus, granting us plenty of quality family time.
Almas Gemelas by D-ende
From The Descent EP
2020
