I hadn’t expected it.
But when my husband asked me to go with him to the store, I was looking forward to getting out of the house.
As we drove along, I thought about how much daily living has changed.
The world has been forever altered by the virus.
Our lives have been touched more by my health, than the virus.
We have moved.
Our home is now in a suburban area when we used to be rural.
We live in a rental twice the size of the house we sold.
Pets are no longer an option.
We used to have two dogs and two cats.
I used to be very active, involved in many things, and our children were active as well.
Now, we stay home, enjoy a much slower pace.
Neither lifestyle is better than the other.
It is simply the way our lives have changed.
There are blessings in life, no matter where one calls home.
With the new requirements, I’ve found going out more difficult.
To receive my allergy shots, I have to wear a mask.
I understand why.
But my asthma makes wearing the mask feel like smothering.
I have to concentrate on my breathing.
I have to work at deep even breaths.
When my time is up, I’m so thankful to reach the car and pull that restriction off.
That’s why I went into the store without my mask.
With just a couple of things, we figured we could stay away from others and do fine.
What neither of us had thought about was the cleaners.
Everything is disinfected constantly.
Those chemicals put off odors and my asthma doesn’t appreciate it.
After working hard to not rush around so I could “get out” I realized what I needed to do.
“Honey, I need the keys. I can’t stay in here anymore.”
He understood.
“I’m sorry sweetheart,” crossed his lips as he handed me the keys.
By the time I reached the truck my head was pounding, my chest hurt, and my eyes were stinging.
I worked at not listening to the question which popped into my head.
“Will it always be this way?”
God came to my rescue.
Worship Me.
I started singing a praise song in my head.
Everything got better, slowly.
When my husband reached the truck I was able to articulate my emotions.
And to speak the truth.
I’m glad we have a home I enjoy, and at some point things will be better.
As an added bonus, my husband stopped at the donut shack.
Freshly made donuts smell amazing!
I enjoyed mine with a cup of tea.
I thanked God for my husband.
For the blessings of our day.
For the opportunities we have.
For the hope I have in tomorrow.
And I thanked Him for chocolate frosting with sprinkles.
patientlyhopeful 