Rookie Mom: Let's Connect While Staying Inside

By Brighid Constable

You should see the inside of my car right now. In one cup holder, there’s a big container of hand sanitizer and, on the dashboard, is a face mask with a filter. I wear it everywhere I go and sanitize/Lysol everything that is new and now entering my home.

Yesterday, (though when you read this, it will be in April, so who knows what the developments will look like then!), I started developing a cough. This cough has been on-and-off for me for a few months, but when it returned, I naturally started to panic.

And then my 3-year-old daughter adopted this cough as well. Then she had a low fever. This is where my anxiety reached a pinnacle: Brynn has reactive airway disease (RAD), so when she gets ill, it hits her hard, and she needs a breathing machine to get through her allergies, cold, flu, or whatever.

With that, I reached out to friends and family members who were concerned, but also shoo-ed it away.

This morning, I woke up feeling fine, but still couldn’t shake the cough. My daughter dealt with the same. During her nap time, I wanted to get out of this house (which was driving me stir crazy), so I thought, “Why not go to Target and buy some seeds to add to our garden project?”

This was not a big deal one day ago.

It was during this time where I reached out to my friend Nicole who immediately said, “Let me get it for you! Stay inside! You have a cough!”

Which, yes, this is all glaringly obvious news, but I just started crying right then and there. Sitting right outside the Target parking lot.

Because I knew how stupidly irresponsible it would be for me, who has a cough and who doesn’t know if it’s COVID-19, to walk into a public place, even with a face mask, who could potentially give this virus to others who might not be able to handle this disease.

After that revelation, I called my 68-year-old mother and it truly hit me thinking when I was going to see her again. Clearly her demographic is the one struggling with this and I would never want to harm her. But, what’s the procedure besides the 14-day wait period? When will the U.S. receive more testing kits?

I know this is very obvious, but as our community slowly goes through the first stages of the Coronavirus, everything is so unpredictable. And I know our emotions will be the same.

With that emotional reaction that I had to go through, here are a few pleas to my Moon Valley community and family members: ● Stay inside if you resemble an ounce of sickness. ● Do not stay isolated. Reach out to friends through social media or FaceTime, especially those who tend toward depression or anxiety. ● Yoga Pura is hosting a daily yoga session via their Facebook page. It’s free! ● Get outside every single day and do not negotiate on that. ● This is not a time to master something you’ve always wanted to do. This is a time to pause, offer gratitude for what we DO have, and take it easy through uncertain times. ● Please support local restaurants and stores who have taken a hit during this time. If you’re wanting take out, hit Aiello’s, Moon Valley Cafe, Lookout Tavern, etc. Support local! ● Be kind to yourself during this time. Who knows if what we’re doing is right or wrong, but put yourself first (inside of course!)

Also, feel free to follow me on Instagram at @rookiemomaz if you want to keep up with how my family is coping with the Coronavirus quarantine. Sending you light and love during uncertain times.

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