This past week many of us here in the United States entered a world completely out of our normal. It has been recommended to practice social distancing and isolation to our homes. Social Quarantine is new for most of us, as we stay at home. Schools have been canceled, many of us are working from home, our entire routines are out the window. Not to mention stores have limited supplies, and we aren’t able to do many of the things we normally enjoy and love.
As a Mother, I feel the sense of panic in my own chest.
And I sense it from Moms around the country.
Not only a mama bear sense of protecting everyone you love most. But that panic you feel as life as you know it is slipping away and very little way of controlling it.
My family loves many things. We are a church-going, adventure-loving, book reading, game playing, back yard adventuring family (visit us over at The Backyard Adventurers). We spend entire Saturdays on the ranch but also love the beach, museums, and movie theaters.
We dance in the kitchen, lick the frosting from the spoon, and pop air popcorn on Friday nights.
We love all these things.
These are “our things” the things that make up our family culture.
And in the blink of an eye, all those things are gone…or so it seems.
How do we maintain our family culture in the midst of chaos?
Truth is: I am not sure.
But I do have some thoughts that are close to my heart. As I evaluated all these things we love, I asked myself WHY we love these things. And there was an over-arching theme: I love celebrating every day magical moments with my family. Magical moments that may accidentally be overlooked. Memories worth preserving even if they seem mundane and unimportant.
And that’s when I realized our family culture exists just as strongly now as it always does. We are just finding new ways to adventure. Backyard campouts instead of traveling, nature walks just the 4 of us. Beach days so far down National Seashore we left all the people behind. We are riding bikes, coloring with chalk, and swimming in a kiddie pool. We are painting in our undies (the kids not me), and watching a whole lot of Disney Plus snuggled up on the couch.
This is our family culture.
Our family culture has never truly been about the “adventures”.
I am re-learning that our family culture is about those magical everyday moments worth celebrating and savoring.
That is what keeps me going each day.
