On the outside, looking in…

If you look up that phrase, it states the following:

To be excluded from a group, process, or opportunity, and feeling downhearted as a result. 

I think that pretty much sums up what we all have been feeling these days. For the outsider looking in, the Smith family has been in quarantine for exactly 34 days. It started for us after the kids last day of physical school. We, like everyone, have had good moments, amazing moments and of course, hard moments. Like REALLY HARD. But as difficult as these moments are and continue to be, I think the most comforting part is knowing that we are not alone. That each and every one of us is going through the exact same thing. We are all quarantined! We are all having to space ourselves from each other. Six feet apart they say. Six feet seems like six million doesn’t it? It is interesting that through distancing, I have become more connected with the people that mean so much to me. My family and my dear friends, close and far away. I have a new sense of appreciation for them. And even for the simple things in life. My appreciation for my home, food, nature, good weather, my kind neighbors and even a simple wave from a stranger (even though six feet away) has grown. We become abundantly grateful when it can’t be easily accessed, right?

Silver linings exist even in quarantines. We just need to continue to remind ourselves and possibly sometimes look a little harder and a little deeper.

Maybe a different perspective has evolved.

From the inside looking out, I feel blessed. And extremely grateful.

Photos by Jess Koehler