I took a bath the other night. Not just any bath, a long, hot bath filled with bath bombs AND bubbles. I had all the props too- a candle lit, a very full glass of wine, chocolate, a good book. I even turned the baby monitor off! OK let’s be real- I turned the volume off. So there I was, sitting in my bubbles, drinking a nice Chardonnay, eating Cadbury eggs (not the big ones, the small chocolate ones with the candy shell)… this is about as close to soap operas and bon bons as I’ll ever get! And it was amazing.
But I had this slight twinge of something… guilt. I’m thoroughly enjoying quarantine life (“GASP”!). I mean, there are things I miss, like friends & going to restaurants & not feeling anxious at the grocery store. But in all reality, I’ve been blessed to be able to be home from work, spend all this time with my 10 month old, catch up on cleaning and general things around the house, and re-engage in things I actually enjoy doing and haven’t had the time for- working out, cooking, baking, etc. Does this make me a terrible person? It does, right? There are so many people struggling- lost jobs, lost income, forced to still work in the public, no one to watch their kids that are off school or help with their homework, running out of supplies, etc etc etc. And I’m sitting here counting my blessings.
But wait… that’s important too right? Acknowledging my blessings, thanking God for all he has provided my family with, not taking a single moment of this for granted. The last year and a half has been full of obstacles in my family- job loss, job change, multiple financial hardships, child support battles, blended family struggles, new baby (which is an incredible blessing but stressor as well), death, the list goes on. We’ve been in desperate need for a freakin break. Everyone deserves what we have right now, the hand of blessings that quarantine life has dealt us. But because everyone hasn’t received the same hand, does that mean we don’t deserve it? I hope not…
Maybe what it really means is that this is our time to give back. It’s our time to help others, from a socially appropriate distance of course. To give in any way we can, through finances or material things or services or prayer or simple words of encouragement
And if we don’t, if we choose not to, then maybe we’re just ungrateful jerks who don’t deserve to have bubble baths accompanied by wine & chocolates.