When I started the Corona Chronicles last year, I didn’t expect that a year of lockdowns was ahead of us. Where are we now?
Life’s better when we’re together
A year of lockdowns hasn’t thought us that life is better when we’re together. However a year of lockdowns has reminded us what we already knew to be true.
Our family have been among the fortunate that have grown stronger together during the periods of time where we haven’t been able to meet anyone else. In this sense the year of lockdowns has treated us well. We’ve gotten to focus on each other, and gotten away from it as a more tight knit unit.
Another reminder of life being better when we’re together is the fact that we miss spending time with others outside our closest family as well. We’ve taken for granted that we can prioritize that later, but have learned that we need to make it a priority right now. Or at least as soon as this still ongoing pandemic is over.
It’s the activities, not the location that makes an adventure
In fear of repeating myself, I’ll make it short; we’ve found that we can have every bit as big an adventure close to home as we can by traveling far. We just have to choose activities that are meaningful and fun to us both as individuals and as a family.
The adventures of this week
Over the past week we’ve been playing in the local forest. Listening to the birds chirping, watching the squirrels living their playful lives in the trees. Feeling the warmth of the sun again. You know, just enjoying the fact that spring is almost here.
When I look back at the first two weeks of the Corona Chronicles it’s amazing to see how fast spring arrived. From freezing days where we needed our winter jackets and mittens, to mild spring temperatures where all we needed was a woolen sweater and sunglasses. Thinking about the fact that we’re only a few weeks away from proper spring makes my heart jump.
We’ve also enjoyed a couple of bonfires at the beach this week. It’s heartwarming to see how natural the boys behave around the fire. Baby Boy is fortunate enough to get to have bonfires in the forest with his preschool on a regular basis, and even if he’s only two he knows how everything works. Big Brother helps building a ring of rocks to make a fire pit, and his little brother copy his every move.
A very special day this week was when my wife and I got to go to Trysil Ski Resort all by our selves. I know some might think it’s wrong of us to leave the boys at preschool while going skiing by ourselves. However we don’t get to spend a lot of time just the two of us. To put things in perspective; the last time we went skiing just the two of us was Easter of 2018. We had a lot of fun hitting the slopes, and agreed that we have to make more time together just the two of us a priority.
What we’re looking forward to
As I’m writing this I’m waiting for the prime minister to make her speech about “the state of the nation” one year after COVID-19 hit us. We’ve had a negative development the last couple of weeks, and the government have announced that stricter restrictions might be coming. Still we’re hoping to be able to go through with a few adventures and projects we’ve planned for this spring and early summer.
First of all; Easter is just three weeks away. And this year we are dying to go to Sunnmøre to visit my family. I’m looking forward to seeing the people and places I love. Skiing, biking, fishing, hiking, whatever the conditions allow.
We’re also renovating our house the next few months. And even though this isn’t an outdoor adventure, it sure is a thing we’re looking forward to getting done.
Once June is here, we’re hopping in the train to visit the biggest zoo in the country. Big Brother and Baby Boy are looking forward to seeing all kinds of animals, as well as visiting Hakkebakkeskogen and Kardemommeby. I swear Baby Boy thinks he actually is the fox in Hakkebakkeskogen on a daily basis. Seeing the story play out in front of him will be amazing I’m sure.
Personally I look forward to the opening of Trysil Bike Park, and I think Big Brother shares my anticipation for our next visit. Baby Boy is slowly starting to test the balance bike, and I bet we’ll have to run to keep up by the end of summer.
A year of lockdowns – but life moves on
And then there’s the garden. I’m so looking forward to the ground not being frozen anymore. To smell dirt, sow and see everything coming to life once again. Because the trees still grow, even if the pandemic is still here. And that may be the biggest lesson from this year that has passed. Life moves on. We find a way to move on with our lives even if it’s full of restrictions.
I hope you have some joy even if a year of lockdowns is behind you. And even if we don’t know wether we have another year of lockdowns ahead of us, we do know that this pandemic will end at some point. We will be able to live our normal lives again. At least I choose to still believe that everything is going to be alright.
On the 12th of March I’m releasing a short video over on my Instagram, I’d be really happy if you headed over and followed me there. That way you make sure you won’t miss any of my posts. And if you liked this post, please consider leaving a like, a comment or even subscribing to my blog. It really will make me happy. Remember that there’s always more to explore locally, and I wish you the very best of weeks ahead!
