I’m just closing in on Week 2 of our self-isolation. The children have been learning at home with me full-time for a week, and even though I’m still experimenting how to manage 2-3 part-time gigs alongside the usual housework and teaching Kindy and Year 3, I’m finally settling into some semblance of normalcy.

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged regularly, and though I now lack time more than ever, I need the sanity check that come from meditation and reflection. I think best when I write. I also haven’t felt quietly overwhelmed and anxious in ages. I’m not usually prone to panicking or paranoia (too lazy), but then motherhood has sharpened that instinct to fortify for the brewing storm.

So this is me, hopefully restarting the habit of reflecting on my day. In chatting with friends near and far, many of us sense a restless need within ourselves to document this crazy time and our responses to it. And in fighting for calm, I’ll endeavour to look for small mercies.

To end this new beginning, I’ll leave you with one of the many things I’m thankful for.

#1: A time to mend

Today is officially the first day outside of the ACT Bushfire Season. Bringing this up feels like talking about a bad dream from a distant past and yet it wasn’t until 27 February that the Orroral fires sitting at Canberra’s doorstep were finally put out. And then there’s the devastation wreaked on coastal towns still reliant on tourism now having to weather more hardship as everyone stays home. This pandemic only compounds the epic challenges faced by those among us who had lost their homes and livelihoods in these fires.

But I’m seriously thankful we’re not dealing with both monsters at once. It is a gnawing, itchy, scratchy thing to fret about losing it all, and it was hard enough with the fires but now it’s another kind of slow burner. Having to think about both threats at once is a mental health workout I’d sooner forego.