Sandy Supposes....

ACK!!

How would eight year old you have reacted to being quarantined and kept out of school and society for so long?

         

         

         

         

         

         Let's recap. When I was eight, I was in the third grade and loving it. I was and still am the eldest of four. Wait, I must clarify this. At eight, my youngest sister hadn't yet joined us, so I was the eldest of three. I lived an entire town block from the school and my habit was to walk home for lunch every day. My best friend, Nancy lived across the street. My favourite haunts were all within walking or biking distance. Preston still is a small town and I felt safe exploring alone, or with my friends.

         Not attending school would be inconceivable! I liked homework and projects. I liked the camaraderie and the constant activity and noise. I enjoyed talking and laughing. School was my life!

         Wait a minute, where would I get books? The nearby library would be closed indefinitely. I'm hyper-ventilating considering that in the here and now. Today, I own a gazillion books, but back then I relied upon borrowing to satisfy my reading habit. No! Would the daily newspaper be delivered? Could I still read the comics? Blech! Mom reads sickly romances, lovey-dovey crap.

         Cell phones were a distant invention. Our home had one wall-mounted phone in the kitchen. Long distance calls were expensive and considered a treat.

         The local outdoor pool wouldn't be open yet anyway in late winter. When would it be open? Will summer still arrive? How will I survive the humidity without a visit every day to the pool?

         Television existed, but in a crude form, no surround sound, no huge screen, no remote control. Our home had one for the shared viewing pleasure of five people. Broadcasting reached it via an antenna from our roof. I'd describe the programming as limited and it ended every evening at 11:00 p.m. No late night binge-watching. There were Saturday morning cartoons though!

         You mean I could not visit Nancy, or have her visit me? Why not? Oh, I'd struggle with the unfairness of this, the ridiculousness of this. She lives right across the road. She doesn't have cooties, or a deadly virus. Yes, we'd wash our hands more if we had to, but wear a mask?

         I would stand on the curb and shout at her standing on the opposite curb. We'd tie notes to rocks and throw them at each other. We'd fly paper airplane messages. We'd kick a soccer ball back and forth. We'd ride our bikes up and down the street past each other's homes and wave.

         Groan! I suppose I'd take notice of my younger brother and sister if I had to, if I felt desperate, if no one else could play. They'd be good for some teasing and arguing. This guaranteed a reaction from Mom.

         Ack! I'd survive a quarantine, but I would not enjoy it!