At this point, it has been a week since the Governor of Ohio made the proclamation that schools would be out for 3 weeks. Upon receiving the notification, my heart sank. It seemed scary and felt like prison. While I want everyone to be safe, this was now going to miserably encroach on the time I was able to spend creating the illustrations for my second book. I’ve worked extremely hard to be able to have this opportunity; late nights, weekends, second jobs. (Along with my husband’s hard work and dedication as well.) It may seem easy, but it takes discipline to sit and draw for several hours on end each day. To make a page of a story come alive visually.

Refereeing bickering kids was not factored into the initial equation.

As much as I was saddened by the constant barrage of devastating news, (and it definitely took a few days to process) I think I may have brought it on myself. You see, I drive my kids to and from school and there are many days where I wake up and just don’t feel like it. The chaos that ensues after stumbling out of bed, berating myself for not going to bed sooner, weighs on me heavily. I frequently wish for something to happen that will change the course of the day. That we all could just stay home and it would be easier. A snowstorm or a power outage would do.

Surprise! It’s not easier and the Corona Virus was way more than I bargained for.

There is a tv showed called “Once Upon A Time” that offers all the traditional storybook characters like Snow White and Prince Charming, but puts them in the fictional town of “Storybrooke”, under a curse and they have to lead ordinary lives. It offers flashbacks of what life was like before all this went down and most of it is intertwined with Rumpelstiltskin. If you recall from your childhood, he’s the dude that has the ability to spin straw into gold and requests your first born as payment. (Which didn’t bother me as a kid, but I’m super creeped out by as a parent.) The common theme throughout the show is that when characters are in a bind, Rumpelstiltskin miraculously appears out of thin air to offer a deal. He’s crafty and scheming and tells everyone “All magic comes with a price.”

There you have it, all my wishing brought this debacle upon us.

I can’t help but feel like there were others out there though, that wanted things differently as well.

If you ever thought:

I wish my life could slow down.

I wish I was closer with my family.

I wish I could just work from home.

I wish the traffic wasn’t so bad.

I wish I could get time to tackle the projects that are piling up around the house.

I wish I could learn a new hobby.

I wish I could homeschool my kids.

I wish extroverts could finally understand what it’s like to be an introvert.

Then maybe the universe thought we could use a hand and we got more than we bargained for because “All magic comes at a price.”

It is a tremendously difficult and frightening time; unlike anything we have experienced. I am trying to do my very best to not let the fear eat at me and instead, see it as a gift. We have been bestowed the internet, which can perform wonders by keeping us connected to find solutions. While the media does it’s best to be scary, we have the unique ability to come together and help each other. We will never get this time back, so try to use it for all your wishes. And if we are really lucky, after this disaster is over, it will forever change how we live the rest of our lives, hopefully for the better.