
I wrote a few months ago about parenting on the roller-coaster. At the time, we were preparing for our move to Belize, with so many unknowns ahead of us. Lately, the experience has felt less like a roller-coaster and more like a tower drop ride. There's still the adrenaline rush and the feeling of being out of control, but with the tower drop, you don't actually get anywhere.
With Covid 19 keeping us indoors for the last 6 weeks, the view has not changed, nor has the cast of co-riders. The ups and downs that come are no longer exhilarating, but exhausting, even predictable. We know what effect good or bad weather will have on each member of the family. We can predict who will sleep well and who will have insomnia. We can read the non-verbal signs to draw each other close or give each other space. We have adapted. We have held on. We are done.
I find myself wanting to shout out: "Stop the ride! I want off!" Even good things turn sour when there is nothing to break up the monotony!
Proverbs 18:14 says, "The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?"
Despite my desire to get off the ride, quarantine remains in place. The ride isn't over yet. More ups are coming, as well as more downs. My prayer is that though you may feel isolated, lonely, bored or stressed, your spirit would not be crushed. This, like all things, shall pass. Soon enough we will be let off the ride and, with jelly legs, we will seek out our next adventure.
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