Y Talk: Extra Marbles and Other Quarantine Observations by Michelle Bell

Some of you will remember when I wrote about losing my marbles a few years ago. If you missed that blog, the gist is that parents typically get 936 weeks with their kids from birth until age 18 when they leave for college or enter the workforce. The Children’s Pastor at the time at my church would use a jar of 936 marbles to give a visual to what seems like a massive number.

What I came to discover is that 936 isn’t as big of a number as I once thought. When I wrote the blog, Isaiah, my oldest, was about to start his senior year in high school and his jar of marbles was almost empty. Fast forward almost 2 years, and we now have an empty jar, another one that’s closer to empty than I want it to be and a third one that is less than half full.

But a gift COVID-19 brought with it was extra marbles. Yes, they are bittersweet, but I am choosing to see them as unexpected blessings.

Instead of finishing out his freshman year at the University of Delaware, Isaiah is home with us. And he brought a teammate with him who is from Germany. That’s even more marbles!

Instead of going from school to track practice to basketball practice to her room to do homework, Rachel is here with us all day. And, as she would be the first to tell you, that is quite a blessing.

Instead of going from school to lacrosse practice to a much-needed shower and to bed, Eli is here with us all day. And, if I’m completely honest, that could have been a tough situation with a kid who thrives on structure and a known schedule. But I have been amazed at how he has adapted to going with the flow.

Never in a million years would I have guessed this is how we would be spending our spring, but I’m choosing to take it in stride.

We’re playing games, doing puzzles, going for walks and hikes, working out, cooking, completing projects around the house and binge-watching some jaw-dropping shows on Netflix. And we’re doing it together. And I will enjoy however many more marbles we all have together.

INTROVERTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY IN HEAVEN

I see memes on social media claiming that introverts have been training for quarantine all their lives. Well, I’m an introvert. And yes, I am enjoying this slower pace of life and more time at home with my family. But I’m also missing me time.

Before COVID-19 uprooted our schedule, I typically had two or three mornings a week where I got to spend an extra hour at home after my family left for school before I had to leave for work. What quarantine has taught me is that while I absolutely love having my family at home together, I also need time to myself. And I suspect other introverts out there are learning the same thing.

I started taking a few solo walks a week to bring that sense of normalcy back and give myself time to recharge. I highly recommend it.

NORTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP DRIVERS CAN BE JERKS

I enjoy going to different trails to hike and walk, but with everyone’s online school schedules and my work schedule, it’s just not always feasible. So, I spend a good bit of time walking in North Middleton Township where I live. What I have discovered is that many people who drive out here have no idea how to share the road with bikers and people running or walking. If no one is coming the other way, it’s OK to move over to give pedestrians a little more room. I promise.

But often I find myself having to dive into people’s front yards or random fields just to avoid being clipped by a vehicle hugging the side of the road with no one coming the other direction. And I have even seen people move closer to the side of the road as they approach me. You can blame it on the phones in many of their hands, but others with their eyes on the road just seem to do it consciously. I don’t get it.

If we learn nothing else during quarantine, can we please learn how to be decent human beings? Put your phones down and pay attention to your surroundings when you’re driving. With fitness centers closed due to Governor Wolf’s mandate, more people than ever before are exercising at home. Let’s try not to make them casualties of this virus without ever contracting it.

So, to recap, I recommend doing these three things during quarantine: 1) savor the extra marbles you’ve been gifted, 2) give introverts a little extra space so they can recharge and 3) stop driving like idiots!

-by Michelle Bell, Marketing Director