Read and Repeat

In the far reaches of the future
When all that is to happen has rushed past us
My children will ask
Tell me
Tell us
Tell us about the pandemic
Their eyes wide with the curiosity of a child who has only known good times
Tell us what it was like to be alive then
I will pause, sit down, gather my thoughts around me
And I will tell them of the spring the morels appeared
Woody, craggy, wholly unexpected
Pushing up against all odds through the green grass of our Southern backyard
I will tell them of how the burning bushes put out their leaves
In one wild rush
As if spring were a sprint
One burning week of life appearing from dormant life
I will tell them of days spent wandering through the bushes and trees
That the color of the redbuds was the color of hope
That one could not watch the hopping blue jay and not smile in delight
I will tell them of the sudden storm
The tornado in all its fury forming before us
The newscaster, the city, my mother and I all holding our breaths
We watched the debris— houses, homes, buildings— flying up, away, gone
I will them of the pounding rain and dark sky
And I will tell them the miracle
As the tornado tore apart our mall
Taking our books, leaving them in another state
I will tell them of the few people working
Who emerged from the rubble, looking around in disbelief
The cars strewn like toys one on top of another
I will tell them that the entire city looked around in disbelief
That not one person died
I will tell them that the world was a vast and unknowable place
That the quiet backroads and the city centers were given different fates
I will tell them that the unknown was more frightening than any statistic could be
For the unknown came wrapped up in every worst case scenario the scientists could fathom
I will tell them that waiting
Waiting
Waiting
Is a different kind of pain than knowing
They will bore easily
Their eyes will dart off looking for the next thing to do
My story will not be in the history books that are to be written
Far sadder fates are lived and far sadder stories will prevail
But I will tell them the quiet story
Of what it was like to be me

Dear Sunday is my weekly post participating in the Caffeinated Book Reviewer series.

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It’s just like Spring Break, I told myself, grabbing a duffel bag off of the top shelf in my closet. Pulling out sweaters, t-shirts, jeans, dresses, stuffing them all inside.

Except, of course, it isn’t.

My craft supplies lined up next to my front door. Which ones would I need? How long before I tired of watercolor- should I also pack the acrylics? How much was too much? How could one fill time when the time was unknown?

It’s just like Christmas Break, I amended my thoughts as I grabbed my King Arthur flour and coffee grounds to take with me.

Except, of course, it isn’t.

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Hello, friends! It has been a while. A lot has changed, how are you? How is the blogosphere faring?

Me? Oh, I graduated my program last May, received my PhD in Physics, took a life-changing graduation trip to Alaska, somehow managed to land my dream job close to family, moved states, and started working in an entirely new area of science (say hello to a developmental neurobiologist?!).

So. You know. A lot has changed for me. And this past week created a whole lot more of that change. I work at a research hospital for sick kids— kids who are particularly vulnerable right now. As a non-essential research scientist I’ve been told to work from home right now (well, as much as an experimental scientist can work from home. I might learn every coding language out there just for kicks). And, facing the prospect of sitting in my tiny apartment alone for, well, forever, I decided to move temporarily back home and work from there.

Can y’all blame me? Look at the gardens here.

Free time is sweeping the nation right now, for better or for worse. I’m one of the lucky ones— working from home means I still get my normal pay, in addition to the novel gift of every night and weekend with no plans.

I’m joking— my college friends and I have been hanging out digitally since we all graduated five years ago so I am no stranger to Skype parties and digital binge-watching escapades and remote game playing. For us, nothing will be changing.

But I have time on my hands and things to say, so I thought I would resurrect my little ole book blog for the time being. I’ll post about the books I’m reading (how I got out of my most recent, never ending reading slump), the art I am making (my friends all need hobby inspiration right about now), and the thoughts I am thinking.

It feels good to be back. :)

Let me know: how are you doing? What’s changed the past year and a half I’ve been gone?