Social Distancing Silver Linings

I danced with Nico in the kitchen today and as I held him in my arms (yep, he still loves nothing more than to be picked up and held tightly by his mama) and waltzed back and forth with him I couldn’t help but cry. I didn’t let him see me; he gets very upset when he sees me upset. Nico feels emotions for others very deeply. Many individuals with Autism do despite what you may have heard.

I cried because we are at the one month mark of social distancing and Nico is clambering for the comfort of his everyday routines, which included his wonderful school routine. He has had to completely readjust to a brand new way of daily life with much less structure and no real socialization and it’s been a struggle, to say the least. It’s a crapshoot with doing schoolwork on the daily because he doesn’t see me as a teacher (which is ironic because that’s my life’s work) so he gets frustrated and more aggressive. I’m lucky if I can get him to sit and concentrate on his virtual assignments for twenty minutes a day. He has been giving it his best efforts, but today he was really in need of some major input. So, I picked him up, rested his head on my shoulder (which he didn’t even resist) and we danced together, just mother and son.

That was my silver lining for the day. I have been trying to find at least one silver lining a day so I can look at this hot mess of a situation the world is in with a “glass half full” attitude. And, when I sat down to really think about whether or not I truly have enough silver linings to see my glass half full, in regards to these unnerving times, I was pleasantly surprised. Truly…

Oh, did I mention I was furloughed from my job because of this awful pandemic until God knows when? Yeah…so I am actually beyond grateful for these silver linings because without them I would probably be curled up in the fetal position in my closet right now.

Social Distancing Silver Linings:

I am becoming quite the little baker and actually using the recipes I find on Pinterest. They’re not just collecting cyber dust in my camera roll and Pinterest boards.

I’m sleeping in (after I force my body to fall back asleep when it wakes up at 5:40am) until at least 9am everyday. Probably helps that bed times have totally gone to hell for Nico and he’s also sleeping in with us.

Getting my baby, Maximo, on a strict sleep schedule early on has paid off royally because he literally takes three naps a day and still manages to sleep in with all of us each morning. This baby of mine is a daily silver lining, hands down.

I have actually cooked with fresh vegetables and not just canned or the ever-convenient “steam in a bag” variety. I feel like a regular Food Network chef, chopping away and putting my wedding cutlery set to work like it’s never seen before.

I’m saving hundreds of dollars on self-beautification since no nail or hair salons are open, along with Sephora and the MAC counter at Nordstrom. Thank God I’m married and have a built-in self-esteem booster in my husband. He sure knows how to make me think I’m a “natural” beauty. Poor guy…at least I’m still shaving my legs.

I was able to binge watch every season of Schitt’s Creek, uninterrupted, and now have a whole new appreciation for Etsy. I have about $300 worth of Schitt’s memorabilia in my cart that I swear I am going to purchase once I get off this darn pandemic budget.

Ok ok…those aren’t my most cherished silver linings. I’m just thankful I have those because at the rate we’re going in flattening this curve, I don’t want to run out.

Here are the real silver linings in my life that are keeping me sane, thinking positively, and feeling the most hopeful I have felt in a long time (ironically):

Nico has used the most functional language in this last month than he has ever used despite not being in school or having any ABA therapy.

Nico has been reading nonstop and, when encouraged to read aloud to me, he is not only reading with little to no help from me, but he’s reading with tremendous prosody and precision.

My husband and I have been able to sit together and marvel at how blessed we are. It still doesn’t seem real that we have the two-child family we always hoped we’d have. I think that’s why we catch each other’s loving glances when we are sitting on the couch with our boys on our laps.

I’m not missing out on any milestones with my baby, Maximo, because of a hellish work schedule that would normally have me traveling weekly. He’s rolling over, starting to eat solids, and beginning to pre-crawl when we put him on his tummy. It’s magical to watch.

Nico has been growing more and more attached to his brother and is showing him love and affection without being prompted. I know he knows that Max is his forever friend.

Maximo is getting a chance to step inside Nico’s world by simply observing him throughout the day and it’s the most beautiful sight to see when Max locks eyes on his brother. Whether it be when Nico is stimming or scripting or reading the same book for the umpteenth time, Max adores his big brother in a way that gives me infinite hope for the amazing friendship they will build for life.

My family is healthy, we have food on our table, a roof over our heads, and family who will always look out for us, even if it’s from afar.

And…

Despite all the stress that this pandemic is causing in my life, I am feeling such a sense of peace every day when I wake up. I look forward to what the day has in store for my family and me as we make more memories together, laugh together, eat our meals together, fall asleep together, and just know that we can have uninterrupted time together.

Those are my true social distancing silver linings thus far and I am so thankful that I am able to find them amongst all of this upheaval.

Our world is in a major state of emergency right now with no apparent end in sight. It’s scary and unnerving. There is a lot to be upset over. People are losing their lives. Families are being kept apart. Economies and ways of life are being dismantled. It’s hard to find silver linings in the midst of all of this.

But…

I have to believe that this has been a wake up call for our world. This pandemic has forced us all to stop and take note of what not to take for granted anymore. Family. Friendship. Money. Work-life balance. Convenience. Faith. This pandemic has stopped us from uttering the words, “One day, I am going to [fill in the blank]” because we have nothing but time to figure out how to get it done.

Nothing will ever be the same after this is over and I hope that that’s true because we’re all in need of a reboot. After all, this isn’t just a wake up call for one or two people, which doesn’t effect change in any real global way.

This is a wake up call for the world, which means change is inevitable since there is power in numbers.

No longer will we be allowed to say “One day, I will…” because that day is now. We have no excuses anymore. When this universal curve is flattened, our world’s “one day” will be its Day One and all of mankind will be at that starting line ready to begin anew with a bit more wisdom and perspective to show for itself.

That’s the world’s silver lining, as I see it, and that keeps me so hopeful for our future.