The New Not-So-Normal

Keith continues to go to work as he always has. He just stands a little farther from his patients now. At home, he is staying away from the family and keeping any potential germs to himself. He will sit at the far end of the 8-person table for dinners and sit in a folding chair on the opposite side of the room (away from the rest of the family) to watch family movies or television before bed at night. Otherwise, he is confined to his office, where no one else is allowed.

Christine is staying at home. Schools are closed and no families want her to visit for therapy, which is a good thing … she didn’t want to work anyway. She is a full-time mom again. No more spin classes. No more training with her friends. Exercise consists of a run with Adeline, spinning on her cycling trainer in the basement, and occasionally meeting with her triathlete friends online to simultaneously train together in their respective homes.

Austin and Victoria are home, but not on vacation.

They go to bed the same time as always; they wake when they feel like it, sans alarms. They watch TV or youtube before breakfast, then they sit down for schoolwork until lunch.

After lunch, they get to use their electronics before being shepherded outdoors by Christine to spend time exercising or riding bikes before dinner, showers, and bedtime again.

This is our life for now.

Things could be much worse.