My Two Writing Teachers colleagues and I are hosting the 13th Annual March Slice of Life Story Challenge, in which hundreds of teachers participate in posting a story per day.
Dear Kids,
Yesterday, the news was filled with big events being cancelled, ski areas closing early for the season, and schools closing in other states. It felt like yesterday was a bit of a turning point, like people all around us were starting to realize that the novel coronavirus is actually real.
At the end of the day, you had Myles as your babysitter, and your father and I skinned up Bolton and did some night skiing with Audrey and Brian. It was weird not to hug anybody to say hi or take sips of each others’ drinks. We laughed about it a lot, but I think we all had the same weird feeling that it was also kind of serious.
After we went skiing, we went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant called The Hen of the Wood with Audrey and Brian. All night long we joked about it being our “last supper,” thinking that very soon all the restaurants might close because of coronavirus. We were surprised to see so many other people eating out when we first arrived, but we weren’t as surprised when the restaurant (usually packed with reservations made weeks in advance) was nearly empty by 9:00. Every time the waitress passed a glass or a dish I couldn’t help watching to see where she put her fingers and wondering if she had washed her hands. (Dinner was absolutely delicious. I had mushroom toast, and scallops).
This is the first time in our lifetime that anything like this has ever taken place, so nobody knows what to expect. For now, we’re trying our best to live life to the fullest and stay as calm as we can (and wash our hands constantly).
I love you both so much,
Your Mom