Pandemic

 It's been almost a year since I first heard about this strange virus that was popping up all around a little place called Wuhan, China. In fact, the first that I heard of it was on reddit, and what I remember reading was that there was a doctor that China wanted to shut up that was trying to get out a warning about this virus. 

I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind was that I was glad that it was far away on the other side of the world. I had forgotten how small the world has become, and that just because it was far away from me, didn't mean it couldn't come here. The next time I heard about it was in January I think. We started to hear of a couple of cases, here and there in the country, and yet still, it didn't seem that close to home. It won't come here. I had somehow forgotten I live in one of the biggest tourist hot spots in the country. Of course it would come, it was only a matter of time. 

Come mid-March; shutdown. Life seemed to grind to almost a standstill. Though of course life never truly stands still, certainly not for long. In those 3 months I potty trained my 3, almost 4 year old, we moved to an apartment, and I had baby #5. 

Now, almost 7 months after shutdown began, I wear a mask to go out, feel guilty if I forget it, and try to not take my health for granted. I pray everyday to keep my family and friends safe from this plague and try not to live in fear, and live the life I am granted every day. What more can we ask for? You are never more aware of how precious life is, than when you know it can be snatched from you in a moment. 

Dreams

 We all have them, right? We might not remember them, but supposedly everyone has REM sleep. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. That is the stage of sleeping when dreaming happens. I tend to have very vivid, memorable dreams. That's been the case since I was a kid. I even used to keep a dream journal, but I don't really remember enough of my dreams to record them anymore. It's not that my dreams have gotten less vivid, it's more that everyday life tends to chase away the fog of sleep and the dreams that came with it. My 2 year old comes into my room almost every morning. "Mommy, eat!" she demands, tugging at my hand. In the face of that, who would remember such a fleeting thing as a dream? I kind of miss the times when I was able to recall my dreams at leisure. I know I had a good one the other night, that told a whole story. What was it about? No idea, since it flew away once my little one started making her demands. Fortunately, there is always another night, and maybe, another dream. Maybe the next one will stick and I'll get a chance to write it down. That would be nice. Good night, and may all your dreams, be happy ones.

Going to sleep

My kids don't sleep. I mean they do, at some point. But there are definitely nights where I believe they will never fall asleep. All of my daughters share a room, so every night is like a sleepover. Which I simultaneously love and hate. I love it, because it's exactly what I wanted when I was a kid, but never had since I only had one brother. I hate it, because then I'm constantly hearing my daughters talking to each other, which means they are not asleep. Which means they will not be going to sleep anytime soon while one of them is talking and possibly keeping the others up. On the other hand, my son, who does not have anyone to share a room with and should therefore be able to theoretically go to sleep at a normal time, does not. He is his own keeping himself up, making up stories to himself, playing with toys in bed, even just lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He is a night owl. To be frank though, they all come by their night owl personality honestly. Both my husband and I are and have always been night owls. Guess I'll just learn to live with it.