life goes on

Today the sun is shining, we've been out for a bike ride, we had a social distanced visit with Jess and kids. This is our new normal. School will not return this year, and we will continue to homeschool for a few more weeks, then summer will begin!

Right now, I am feeling good and at peace with life. While COVID 19 has brought much uncertainty to people's lives, I must say, that it has blessed us with the gift of family time - something that had been taken away from us due to our busy work/activity schedules. Life has slowed down. There are more walks, slower family meals, campfires and backyard play. It's slow and I am not complaining.

A few weeks ago, tragedy struck here in our adopted home province of Nova Scotia. To spare the gory details, I will just say that it was a tragic loss of innocent lives. It was completely shocking and unfathomable. 22 lives and an unborn baby were senslessly taken. Children lost their parents infront of them, grandparents taken, an RCMP, a teacher, nurses.... community people. And it make the whole thing more unbareable, families and friends weren't allowed to grieve together. The isolation made it that much worse.

On a personal note, it was a hard time for us as an RCMP family. Winslow had been called to scene, when the shooter was still active- which in itself was a very sobering moment for us. Thankfully, he didn't attned the actual scene- as when he was on his way, it was called off.  And then in the aftermath of the tragedy, he was called out to the scenes to investigate. It was a hard time. I was so heartbroken for those that lost a loved one, and I was feeling very isolated from the suport that I usually rely on (due to COVID, friends could come by to spend time with us). I'll be honest, this sent me into a dark place for a few weeks. Anxiety and depression came creeping in, and although it wasn't completely debilatating, it did make for a rough few weeks.

Thankfully, things slowly started to turn around. The days warmed up, and the garden beckoned me to come outside. The trails reopened, and walks in the forest were once again permitted. The beaches reopened as well, and social distanced visits are now ok. This week I had a socially distanced coffee date on my back porch with friends and it felt so good.

And so here we are. 2.5 months into this new life of COVID 19, where social restrictions will be our new normal, and the way we do normal daily tasks will forever be changed. Playgrounds are still closed, as are libraries and restaurants. It will be interesting to see how things move forward, but for now, we are trying to enjoy our days and the gift of family time. Our relationships have been strengthened, and that is one thing that I will never take for granted.