We have entered an even stricter lockdown until Jan. 31st.

You may be confused. I know I was. How can it be stricter than strict? Just to keep you updated this is week 11 of lockdown total. We have been in light lockdown since Nov. 2 and then on Dec. 10th we moved into strict lockdown and as of yesterday it has gotten tighter. Now we can’t go further than 15 km from our neighborhood, the amount of contact we can have is less and then a few other restrictions that don’t seem to affect us so I don’t remember them all.

Monday of week 11. That is close to three months of less and less. We remember when we could eat outside at a table and reminisce. We yearn for the days of haircuts and browsing in a shop. We think about things we need and then turn to online to see what may be available and if we need to order now or wait. We know our DHL guy by name (like UPS) and do favors for him. We spend more and more time dreaming of saunas and travel but know enough to not get our hopes up.

Yesterday we just needed to get out and there was a glimpse of sun so we ran outside all bundled (its pretty chilly here) and took the 10 minute bus ride (appropriately masked, distanced and with caution) to a small forested area called Konigsheide just to let the pups run off leash and to be in the trees. The paths wind and loop. We sauntered for an hour and a half (the pups dashed around us) and felt like we could breathe for a minute. It was glorious and much needed.

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For a moment we turned our faces to the already lowering sun for a little natural vitamin D and even saw neighbors/friends that we had just told about this place the day before. And for a moment in time it all felt ok and manageable and just right.

This week I “return” (online) to school after the holiday break. I am slow to pick back up the rhythm of schoolwork. Online makes it more challenging to have the motivation. Spending hours on the screen is not ideal for me but I am lucky I get to continue to learn and grow.

This week I will continue to offer zoom pastoral care, write here and there, nanny once where the parents will pick me up and drop me off for safety, and ponder about this period of time. I will try to watch less of the news cycle of what has happened and what will happen in the US political sphere. It is not great for the mental health. And I will form a sermon for a church in the midwest for an exhausted pastor like I do here and there. This week I appeared in Portland and in San Francisco preaching for tired pastors who need a break. I am on day three of my migraine-less self and I pray that it stays that way for a while. I am on day 11 of a dry January mainly because of the migraines but always a good practice here and there.

How are you this Monday?