Heather's Corner: An Oro Valley Mom's Perspective on Covid-19

We are pleased to present the following "Special Edition of Heather's Corner." Heather is a freelance writer.  Her column "Heather's Corner" appeared in LOVE from 2014 through 2015. We asked Heather and she so graciously agreed to provide her personal perspective on the impact of Covid-19 on an Oro Valley mom. As usual, beautiful work. Enjoy!
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Someone posted on Facebook that the weirdest part of living through this pandemic is the strange mixture of normalcy and emergency and the constant struggle between feeling as though they were either underreacting, overreacting, or a combination of both at all times. So far I have found nothing that resonates more as I spend current days coloring with my children, basking in the Arizona sunshine of my backyard, and keeping an eye on the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths tracked thus far in Pima County.

I often wonder how much anxiety I am adding to the lives of my children while having the news cycles on in the background. They seem to be ignorant to the fact, as they make paper flowers and loom band pot holders, that the world is ever changing during this catastrophic event, so on they play. I still hear laughter from them as I chew on the extra skin beside my thumb nail, scrolling through news sites and worrying about how bills will be paid, so all is still good in my world.

My mornings consist of the family check-in between my sister, mother, and I. My sister has the keen sense of limiting news stories for her family but relies on me to tell her the gist of the day while my mom tells me about the latest conspiracy she’s read. We take a walk on the streets of our quaint Oro Valley community, as I look at everyone we pass by like possible carriers. After a snack, we tackle virtual classrooms, chores, and then spend the rest of the day behind the walls of our fortress. Some days I feel like my life is like a wholesome rerun of Family Ties or 7th Heaven and some days, as one Facebook poster shared, I feel like we were dropped on the set of The Hunger Games.

Things I worry about: I worry as I run low on sandwich meat that I will have to go back to the grocery store where staying 6 feet away from shoppers is nearly impossible. I worry whether I should start doing the shopping for my parents, as my mom nears 70 and my father is diabetic, but she insists she is fine. I worry when my children will spend time with their father again, a TMC employee who gave up his “co-parenting time” over concerns he may become infected— he says ‘hi’ to them from my driveway and they wave from the front door but it’s not the same. I worry that as this spreads, one of my loved ones will get sick, or worse. And I worry that all of this worrying is for not.

When I allow myself the brief moments between staying ahead of the headlines and weeding through news stories, I surrender to a new life that has landed in our home; a way of living that is simpler and without expectations or rigorous schedules. Up before sun rise, the struggle to get everybody dressed: “I told you to put your shoes on five minutes ago!” school, work, homework, ballet class, archery, band, birthday parties, clubs, appointments, are all foreign to us now as we navigate the new intensity of a 20-minute game of checkers. Yet from the safety of my home, I watch in awe as the community leaders out there, without the potential of a simplified life, make it possible to thrive: the teachers who have rallied to not skip a beat, the steadfast healthcare providers and grocery store workers, who are undoubtedly also experiencing concern for themselves and their own families. To them I say you deserve our deepest gratitude. I can stay home for you. As you battle on the frontline of this surreal viral apocalypse, (and in the words of Effie Trinket,) “May the odds be ever in your favor!”
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Heather Nenadovich is an Oro Valley mom and freelance writer. Her work appeared in LOVE from 2014 through 2015.