Happy thought #1: Time with my daughter

I have an 8-year-old daughter in the 3rd grade. I was recently lamenting to a close friend how quickly time is flying by. I was sorry I didn’t have the time to spend with her that we used to have when she was little. Before her days were filled with school and activities and friends.

Obviously, that’s changed. We’ve gone from busily running from school to activity; to no school, no activities, no playdates. Now I’m not going to pretend that every moment of sheltering-in-place has been pure joy. Of course, we have some challenging moments. I’ve gone from working home alone for six hours a day while she was in school, to a full-time homeschooling mom. Busy and in-demand almost every moment of the day.

But I relish this time with her. I know how quickly kids grow up. And I’ve been given a respite from that. I have my little girl back 24/7 again. Just like when she was tiny. Well, not quite the same, she wasn’t as sarcastic then. But still, I’ll miss these moments when this is over. As happy as I’ll be to get our routine back, I will miss her fiercely on the day she goes back to school.

Happy thought #2: Pizza and movie night

We made homemade pizza and garlic knots on Saturday night. Usually, we would just order pizza after running around all day, but with so much time at home, we made it ourselves. It turns out, my daughter is an expert garlic knot maker.

If you’d like to try it yourself this is the pizza dough recipe I used. And here is the garlic knot recipe. They’re both super easy and tasty. I promise!

And there are loads of movies to stream right now. Check out a list of them here. We watched “Onward” with my daughter. I would have watched “The Invisible Man” with my husband after she went to bed if I hadn’t fallen asleep from utter exhaustion shortly after she did. It’s okay, we’ll try again, we have plenty of time.

Happy thought #3: I have awesome neighbors

My neighborhood is awesome. On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone hung pictures of shamrocks in their windows for the kids to take a walk and go on a shamrock hunt, while social distancing, of course. Last Friday, it was zoo day. We all put stuffed animals in our windows and the kids took a walk to see what animals they could spot.

We were supposed to have a sidewalk chalk day today, but it’s Chicago, and it snowed. We’ll have to try that one a different day.

And I’ve seen neighbors on my local Facebook groups that have been donating masks to hospitals. I’ve seen neighbors offering toilet paper and loaves of bread to each other. I’ve seen neighbors supporting local businesses by ordering take-out and sharing how great the food was on social media. I’m inspired to see such generosity and kindness of spirit in difficult times.

Not everyone is hoarding toilet paper.

Happy thought #4: Penguins!

Bless them, their caretakers let them tour Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium when the crowds were gone. They watched the fish! It’s all here on YouTube. Watch it. I promise this will make you smile. Penguins are the best.

Happy thought #5: I found an extra stick of butter at the back of the fridge

Not much more needs to be said about this one. Two weeks ago, this would not have been cause for celebration. Two weeks ago, I might have thrown it out concerned it had expired.

But today, I did a little happy dance when I found it.