I looked up at her and replied, " You cannot type and eat at the same time."
Seriously. A greater study than the pandemic would be the amount of calories consumed during the pandemic.
She asked me, "have you learned anything?"
Of course the answer was yes. Being a Yankee too, she has not lived through a hurricane.
I told her the truth, "we have air, electricity, water, gas, food, WiFi, air, did I mention air conditioning, no generators running (I hate that sound) and no need for chainsaws. I am good"
She responded, "you are not normal."
Ok, what?
I thought about it for a couple days. I totally understand if you have never been through something, it is hard to wrap your mind around it. Like childbirth for example.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day digging in the dirt so my mind wondered.
Basically, everything I learned from the Pandemic, I learned in kindergarten.
Before I went to kindergarten, I was over the top excited. I was leaving the nest. Yippee. For three hours a day 9am-11:3am,four days a week, I was on my own. Hot Shot. I was going with my peers to the bottom of the Delmont Presbyterian Church. I was going to learn so I could go to the coveted First Grade. I was going with my friends. I was growing up.
I could not wait. My first real independence. I can remember this day being held over my head, "your are going to kindergarten now, you need to make your bed, do the dishes, fold laundry, listen, not talk back." The list was endless. It worked.
There was not pre-school in 1966. Just kindergarten. It wasn't part of the school system. All kindergarten was private. There was only one in our area. You paid.
Here is what I learned in kindergarten.
1. Wash your hands. Before you eat, after you eat, before bed, after using the bathroom, etc. Growing up, my mom was anal with cleanliness. She used to say, "Your face doesn't stink but your ass does, wash it." "Don't be the kid who stinks. Wash your feet." Bathe. Bathe as often as you want. Just bathe. Don't forget your teeth either.
In kindergarten, we would line up and go "two-sies" into the bathroom, using it and then washing your hands before snack time and then after snack time. Remember the bathroom like it was yesterday.
2. "Don't take seconds until everyone is served." There is plenty. And don't take seconds until everyone is finished." It is your patriotic duty not to hoard. There is plenty of toilet paper to go around. Don't take seven 6- packs. Only take what you need and are going use in the immediate future. Let those who need have. Only take seconds if you are going to eat it. Don't waste. There is always plenty.
3. Take a nap. "Even if you are not tired, just rest your eyes. You will feel better" Isn't it the truth? A ten minute or 40 minute nap can change everything. It is ok to rest your soul. Do it.
4. We are all really the same. Pandemics do not discriminate. When I went to kindergarten, none of us knew our addresses, we were all getting loose teeth and we all were learning new things. Nobody was better than the other, nobody was ahead of the curve, we were all the same.
We all have belly buttons. That makes us all the same. Nobody is better. Nobody is worse. Belly buttons make us united.
5. Vitamin D makes a difference. Sunshine can change your mood, get in it. Sunshine kills mold and mildew, makes plants grow and is an organic anti-depressant. Go get some.
6. Exercise your mind and your body. Move your body. Exercise makes your smarter. Move. Take a walk, play tag, jump up and down, move. You will grow stronger and smarter.
7. "Hands to yourself." How many times did you hear this in kindergarten? Keep your hands to yourself.
8. "Keep your hands off your face." I honestly think my mamaw said this....along with "get your hair out of your eyes" but I remember hearing it over and over and over again.
9. "I teach at home and then you are taught at school." My mom used to tell me that it was her job to prepare me at home and then the teacher's took over during the day and then she took over at night. She would say, "if you are not prepared, I look like a bad mom. Be Prepared."
10. "Show and tell" is for teaching others about something they may not know about, it is not be a show-off. "Keep it simple. Something easy to carry, something easy to talk about and understand. Keep it simple."
11. If you are sick, stay home. Stay home for school, playtime and birthday parties. It is rude to spread germs. Stay home.
12. Learn to listen. Listening is the easiest thing you can do to get smart. Listen. Listen intently and often. "Open those listening ears. They are important. You have two years and only one mouth. Listening is important."
13. "Get in line and stay at an arms length". I can remember lining up, putting my arm out and making sure we were all at proper distance before we marched to get the snack. Sometimes we would sing. Lining up properly was key. Distance was so important.
14. Meditation and/or prayer is important. Kindergarten was in the basement of the Church. There were children of all religions. It did not matter. We were all the same. We said prayers at the beginning of the day. And then we had silent prayer. It is good to mediate and/or pray.
15. Ice Cream makes everything better. Always. When I was in kindergarten, I was allergic to milk, chocolate and artificial flavoring. Every Thursday, my grandfather would pick me up from kindergarten and we would stop at the Tastee-Freeze on 66 in Delmont. He always order a hot fudge sundae, I always ordered a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate. We always sat in the booth and didn't really speak. Before we got home, he always reminded me, "don't tell your mom." By Friday night I was in desperate need for that allergy but I was never going to give up my ice cream hook up. This is my favorite memory of my grandfather.
16. Respect your teachers.
17. It is good to entertain yourself. Learn to read, build a puzzle, knit, anything, learn to be ok with yourself. Learn to occupy yourself, play with yourself and be good in your own skin.
18. It is good to play, even if it is just a game of "Upset the Fruit basket,"it is good to play. It is good to win and good to lose. It is fun to have fun.
19. On the days that things do not go your way, it is not permanent. If you don't get a sticker for good behavior, it is not forever. Do better the next day. Don't get picked first for the kick ball team, no trouble, you will get picked at some point. Nothing stays the same. Things that go up, must come down. Things that are down, go up.
20. Do not every sneeze on anybody, cough on anyone or spit on anyone. Ever. It is not nice. It is gross. And it is not sanitary at all. And please, do not eat your boogers. No nutritional value at all. Don't eat your boogers.
And finally, It is good to have friends. Friends make bad days good. Even when you have that self-inflicted pity party, it is good to have a friend lift you up, laugh with you, listen to you and basically tell you it is okay to lose it every now and then. Friends are good to have, good friends are even better to have....even if they have to be six feet away for awhile.
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