K.N., 65, a piano teacher and substitute teacher in Murrieta, CA

For me this quarantine has been a blessing in my life.  There have been difficult moments but the blessings have far outweighed the negative.

My husband and I had a trip planned to go to Oberammergau to view the Passion Play and tour some Martin Luther sites.  This was, of course, cancelled until 2022.  We had intended to visit with our grand children during the summer following our trip and were unable to do that.  We sold our house of 31 years and were unable to have our children visit because Covid was looming and worsening during the summer when they could have visited.  We were going to have a large party for my mother’s 90th birthday which ended up being a drive by for her.  A few inconveniences that we encountered during our time in quarantine. 

Although these inconveniences disappointed us all they were minor in comparison to the devastation experienced by many during this pandemic.

This quarantine came at a relatively easy time in our lives. My husband and I have been married for 44 years and have raised 5 children, all of whom are now raising their own families.  We are high risk and so have spent a lot of time at home, away from people.  We are not in a hurry to gather with others.  We have been fortunate as we have not yet contracted the virus.  We have rediscovered each other, have enjoyed our time together, and have had the opportunity to take many walks and improve our health.  We have enjoyed our Sunday afternoon visits with our children and grandchildren via zoom and are probably closer knit as a family, as cousins, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles interact each week.  As a piano teacher I have found that those students who have availed themselves of my offer to teach have improved greatly and are actually doing better than when we had in person lessons.   We have had the opportunity to study the life of the Savior each Sunday and get to know Him a little better.  We have been able to dispose of a lot of STUFF and we realize that STUFF is not important.  Family relationships are what matter the most. 

While difficult for many, and not at all easy, this quarantine has been a tremendous blessing to me, to my husband, and to our children and their families.

[submitted on 10/20/2020]

Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.

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