I blame the quarantine for preventing me from hugging my grandchildren and my daughter. Seeing them through the window of my iPad is not satisfying. I see their cute little faces pushed up against the computer screen and then they flit off out of the camera’s view to play. In the background, Charley practices her ballet and Dylan fights and conquers yet another dinosaur. I yearn to touch them. But, I also blame the quarantine for allowing life to slow down. Although I’m a retired public school teacher, I still teach part time, run a writing group for Cancer survivors and tutor. I take care of the after school activities of my grandkids one day a week and, as a result, I’m as busy as I was when I worked full time. There is something to be said for being forced to slow down. I’m meditating every day, something I’ve wanted to do for years, but never had the time. I’m reading more than ever the books that previously only got occasionally dusted. I’m actually cooking! In June, I’ll be married for 50 years. When the kids were still living at home, I cooked every day. However, that was a different type of cooking, if you can call making macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets cooking, at all. Now, I’m Cooking. Real food.New recipes. I blame the quarantine for limiting the variety of ingredients that I can use, but, still…..I blame the quarantine for reminding me after all these years that if I had to be quarantined with someone, I’m glad it’s my husband. We are grateful that we have a roof over our heads and food on the table. We can, hopefully, blame the quarantine for the rejuvenation of our Mother Earth and give her much needed time to restore the health of our sky and seas.
— Claire Harris Tunick, Tenafly, NJ