Image by Joseph Redfield Nino from Pixabay
@Eco-alex posed for @Ecotrain a question on if you are a hugger or a shrugger (find out more here.)
I'm naturally rather reserved and also respectful of folk's boundaries and space. With the pandemic and the social distancing there have been times I have thwarted some inclinations for hugging.
But if someone wants to hug me, like the young children I work with which I am accustom to hugging, I would not reject them.
In fact I will find it very hard to not give the customary hugs on greeting the children in the morning or through out the day. The school division has given us guidelines for being back in the schools in the fall and although they recognize it will be very difficult for the younger kids to use physically distancing (they don't want to use social distancing for socializing is a big part of a child's life) they are telling us to limit physical contact.
At least we don't need to wear masks so we can still express ourselves through smiles and facial gestures and with a little creativity find other ways to "touch" people.
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay
It concerns me about these young kids growing up in what I see as a rather cold world where they will not be free to express themselves and show affection with hugging and other ways that involve physical contact.
To them it will be their "norm".
This brings me to a question @trucklife-family asked through the @Abundance.tribe
What is Your "Understanding Of The New Normal"?
My "new norm", besides adopting to the new guidelines put forth for the schools with restricting physical contact ( I won't be at the schools much longer for I can retire in half a year and I don't like the direction schools are being guided towards - too institutionalized) I will be working towards being more self reliant as we have my niece, husband and three kids coming to live on our land. There is so much more potential when you have younger folks with greater physical strength and four adults to be able to face any challenges. I'm finding there is a strength in united family units. We have developed the land a fair bit but still have many ideas for increasing the food production and cutting down the cost of living for my niece's family since they are coming from a high cost of living in the city. This will free up their resources and also there will be more skills in the pool to draw from.
I'm concerned about my life as a grandmother for we had such plans, me and my grandchild, of what we would do when I retire, but now my daughter-in-law's father had recently under gone a kidney transplant and now is diagnose with throat cancer, under going radiation treatments, so that family is being very cautious of who they come in contact with. Also my daughter-in-law had just been diagnosed with a kidney disease that runs in the family so she is entering the sphere of being more compromised plus she wants to be available for her dad for driving him etc. and how ever she can through all this disease. Thus they are really being careful of who they come in contact with.
Previously I had taken my self contained camperized van down and camped in their driveway for visiting when things first started to open up but with these new circumstances in person visiting is not going to happen for awhile.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
We are trying to make the most of the technologies we have with Skyping, sharing lots of photos (me and my granddaughter love photography) and we are creating a book together. I'm a little uncertain of the future but will meet any challenges as they arise.
I will be working towards peace and harmony prevailing in this world, even if it is only in my small corner of the world!
All folks are invited to respond to the @Abundance.tribe question
What is Your "Understanding Of The New Normal"?
How is it going to affect your life and what measures if any are you going to put in place to help you maintain the life that you want?
Details can be found here
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