Coron-outine: 3 Insights Post-Lockdown

Coron-outine: 3 Insights Post-Lockdown

After 2 months under lockdown, life in Israel is now settling into coronoutine (known as “shigrona” in Hebrew)–a new corona-era routine. That means that facemasks, social-distancing, and limits on gathering size remain mandatory while stores and businesses and schools are opening up, and people can travel freely.
So today (at Rabbi Nivin’s encouragement) I am thinking about what insights into my life I’ve received from these homebound months stuck with my entire family under one roof.
Here’s a few:
1. Before the pandemic, I thought that homeschooling my kids would be nearly unthinkably awful. But the truth is that while it’s been challenging, it’s actually been OK, and even enjoyable in certain ways. I’ve discovered I enjoy life devoid of the morning and afternoon rush. Without appointments and activities and school events to keep track of. At the same time, while I discovered that I might have the ability to homeschool, in my case that would be a bad idea. My kids, I understood, are getting a far better education from their teachers and schools than they would from me.
2. Last week, I left my neighborhood for the first time in 7 weeks to go shopping downtown. Sitting on the light rail for the first time since before Purim, climbing over the String Bridge, my heart felt excited and expansive in a way it hadn’t in nearly 2 months! I realized at that moment that even though I’m a homebody who loves being home most of the time, I’m also a person who thrives on getting out and away! I had a similar insight when one day the noise inside the house drove me to flee the house (frustrated to tears) and daven outside. And since then, one of the highlights of my day has been davening at a rocky, tree-filled park down the block. Why didn’t I think of doing that until I was forced to? That’s something I definitely hope will continue during this coron-outine and IY”H beyond.
3. Before the quarantine, I thought it was a good thing that my family’s out of the house most of the time. My husband at work all day, my 4 older kids living away from home at school or university or elsewhere. And my 4 younger kids at school until mid-afternoon. I thought I’m the type of person who thrives on all that peace and quiet and time to myself to do my own thing. I would have thought that all ten of us being stuck under one roof for 2 months would be a nightmare scenario. Would we end up hating each other? But I was surprised to discover, despite frequent skirmishes and outbursts as well as a breathtaking amount of mess and balagan, that we generally did manage to get along and even enjoy each other. I learned that intense togetherness is tough but, at least in limited amounts, it can be a very good thing as well.
I pray that this new coron-outine will be allowed to continue until there is a vaccine, and that this horrible pandemic will soon be behind us and all the people of the world.

2 comments

  1. Well-said! Thank you for putting into words what I’m sure a lot of us are feeling

  2. Pessy Leah

    I agree. The quarantine also helped me like the ones I love!

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