It’s Just Another Covid Monday

Their nails bore the markings of many paintings, worn off in long baths and having endured the infinite scratchings of unending boredom, still a myriad of colour remained, peaking through their flour crusted nail beds as they helped knead the dough.

“Can we make cinnamon buns?” They had asked. I sighed, with three helpers, an already somewhat arduous task would become exponentially messier and time consuming. But we had put up our Christmas tree only two days ago and the aroma of last years cinnamon dough decorations had filled the house, made our bellies yearn and our mouths water. The three times glued together, Christmas T-Rex, stared out with its single googly eye, from its low lying branch in the tree — baking was inevitable.

“Ok. Let’s do this. Remember this is a long project,” I said it to them, but it was meant for me. I took three deep breaths and reached for the already dusty bins of flour and sugar and placed them in front of the younger two, both armed with a mixing spoon.

We had the time. This year, caution dictates sick days be used for the most minor symptoms. “Just being cautious,” I said to myself as I logged in, last night, to submit my absence, reevaluating my daughters cough and runny nose in my mind. Never before has the bar been set so low for heroism: stay home. It feels good but so strange to stay home, guilt-free, on a day like today when our health is only barely compromised.

Just as I was thanking these dark and foreboding skies for their silver linings, my heart feeling warmer than our kitchen attempting to raise our ball of dough, our youngest walked into the kitchen sans diaper and smelling like a very full one. I was quick on the search, fearful of what mess might befall my eyes, but our very old yorkie had beaten me to it, her nose is years younger than the rest of her. Muzzle deep in the diaper and in desperate need of a hair cut, she looked like a Wookie, if Chewbacca had ever fallen head first into a fully loaded diaper.

Never has the bar been set so low for my personal accomplishments either, and I’m ok with it. I gave a dog a bath today. I repaired several Christmas decorations as I watched our tree turn into the most popular play space, only a few feet away from the bins overflowing with actual toys. I taught three kids very bad air guitar, and we rocked really hard to Green Day, blasting way too loud. And I added another layer of nail polish to their fingers, Christmas colours, because ‘tis the season.