This quarantine has made us appreciate EVERYTHING

I know we’re meant to be staying home and never leaving the house – and that’s exactly what we’re doing, with very few exceptions – but I’ll admit, I pretty much snapped today.

It’s spring break week. It’s the last day of Z’s birthday month. We haven’t been out of the house together in weeks. And we needed to buy a few necessities for our sanity!

So Z and I ventured out carefully to Oakland Nursery Delaware with a short shopping list and plans to avoid people, not touch anything, use hand sanitizer and wash hands very well upon returning home. We were ready for a quick errand – to do our part to support the local economy a little bit – and that’s it.

Honestly, when we pulled up out front and saw fewer flowers than usual plus hardly any cars, I wasn’t even sure if they’d be open. I had read somewhere that nurseries and garden centers are open, but it sure seemed closed until we opened the door.

Then, we found them to be open and welcoming – from a distance. Z and I headed back to the greenhouse area and found ourselves in a literal social distancing PARADISE on earth.

A trip to the garden center used to be something I’d have to bribe her to do – and she’d likely ask for my phone or complain the whole time. But today felt like a day out on the town. Coronavirus quarantine is making us appreciate EVERYTHING!

In our new, experience-starved lives, where all we do is stay at home and find various ways to entertain and educate ourselves (and try not to go crazy), going to the nursery and garden center felt like a literal spring break outing.

We luxuriated in all the green growing things, gorgeous flowering hibiscus everywhere and peaceful, zen-like surroundings. Z found a little fountain that trickled into a pool of brightly-colored fish, and she was mesmerized.

I was struck by the beauty of all the arched arbors adorned with plants and flowers, hanging strands of sea glass and rocks, statues and every glorious growing thing imaginable.

It felt so vibrant and multi-colored, like we’ve been living in black and white but finally made it to Oz. I took a bazillion pictures. Z had a blast and we both kept finding treasures around every turn.

We came home with two big bowls of pansies for the front of our house, plus a succulent and an air plant for Z, two new succs for me and a couple of little stone garden ornaments.

It felt like the most fun we’ve had in weeks – and it probably was. Before this Coronavirus phenomenon, we were pretty experience-rich and had more than our share of fun, exciting and amazing adventures. Now, we’re all stuck at home with little more than our imagination and creativity to entertain and amuse us.

Don’t get me wrong, we are having fun creating, learning and crafting – and corresponding with friends through text, social apps, video and more – but getting out and experiencing a morning in a garden center felt like heaven. I feel like we appreciate things more now than we ever have before.

Every breath of spring that comes our way – sunshine, budding trees, flowers and birds’ nests – are going to fill us with joy. We’re going to experience spring 2020 like we never have appreciated or noticed a spring before in our lives.

By the way, yours truly was on WDLR Radio’s Delaware County Matters show this week talking about exactly this topic. I’ll post a link when it is available online. It was fun chatting with host Michelle Gatchell and I hope to do it again soon.

What are you appreciating more since the quarantine began – and what do you miss? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below or over on Facebook.

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About the author

Proud and loving midlife mama. Lucky and devoted wife. Dog, cat and snake mom. Travel nut. Natural born writer. PR and social media pro by day - tattoo doula by night.

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