Tears on My Yoga Mat

Poem for Today

March 25, 2020

Shelter In Place Week 2

I have not written poetry since 1990-something. Yesterday, I was inspired
by words written by The Zen Teacher, Dan Tricarico, to write a poem about
his morning gratitudes and observations. This morning I was flooded with some overwhelming emotions. So I wrote
about it. My second poem in two days, also my second poem in 3 decades.

I don't feel confident posting this, but I am inspired by my January 2000
Mommies friend, Karen Knox, who posted her song, to do so anyway.
Maybe it will help one person.

Tears on My Yoga Mat

It’s too much sometimes.

Stop. Breathe in. Arch like a cat.

I feel sad.

Stop. Breathe out. Round like a cow.

This sadness might be grief.

Stop. Slide the arm to thread the needle.

Uncertainty. Unknown. I don’t know. No one knows.

Stop. Slide the other arm.

I’m not enough. It’s never enough. 

Stop. Back to table top. Breathe.

How can I take care of others when I can’t even take care of myself?

Stop. Keep breathing.

The tears come. I feel this feeling.

Keep breathing.

I let this feeling flow through me.

Keep breathing and crying.

This is sadness. This is grief.

Keep breathing and wipe eyes.

I am okay. I am not sick.

Keep breathing and blow nose.

Grateful for the yoga mat with tears on it.

Keep breathing and walk downstairs.

Grateful for the hug from husband.

Keep breathing and write this poem.

Spring 2020 Shelter in Place Journal, First Entry, Week 2

Shelter in Place Journal

March 2020

Karen Bloom

Monday, March 23, 2020

Well, it has been a week of shelter in place and several weeks of uncertainty related
to how we would respond to the COVID-19, aka Coronavirus. I wrote this update for my Spanish class that I will be attending virtually tomorrow:

Spanish paragraph 3/24/2020

Shelter In Place Week 2
Refugiarse en lugar, Semana dos

Tengo mucho de qué hablar y, sin embargo, nada que decir.

Mi familia inmediata está bien. Estoy agradecido de que me gusten tanto.

Mi familia extendida también está bien en Nueva Jersey, Nueva York, San

Mateo, y Davis.

Mi hijo mayor, Micah, estaba en Cabo en México disfrutando de sus

vacaciones de primavera cuando su escuela cambió a educación a distancia

y cerró los dormitorios. Pudo regresar a Ohio para obtener sus cosas y

regresó a nuestra hogar en Oakland el lunes pasado. Él está trabajando duro

en su trabajo escolar y extraña a sus amigos. Lo ayudé con algunos

problemas de estadísticas la semana pasada.

Mi hijo menor, Jonah, también está trabajando duro en su trabajo escolar y

también extraña a sus amigos. También lo ayudé con su tarea de

matemáticas la semana pasada.

Mi esposo, Mark, ofrece servicios de transmisión en vivo tanto desde la

sinagoga como desde nuestra sala de estar. Le pidió a la junta de la sinagoga

que llamara a todos los miembros esta semana pasada para verificar que

todos estuvieran bien.

Mi trabajo no es aburrido, como siempre me gusta decir. Es difícil descubrir

cómo enseñar virtualmente, especialmente a mis estudiantes de educación

especial. Los extraño mucho a ellos y a mis amigos maestros.

He estado jugando mucho Mah Jongg en línea con mis amigas y leyendo

mucho, aunque no tanto como pensé que podría leer.

If you don't speak Spanish, you will find a decent translation by using Google translate.

I have been thinking about all the ways that my job (teaching math part time at Piedmont Middle School) keeps me healthy:

1. Running up and down the steps many times a day.
2. Eating lunch and not snacking throughout the day.
3. Filling my water bottle and drinking it throughout the day, sometimes twice.
4. Seeing lots of human beings. I love people.
5. Taking care of others and being taken care of.
6. Teaching young humans how to be good people, how to learn, how to understand concepts.
7. Learning. I learn so much every day.

I really miss having a routine. I feel like I am taking care of myself but yesterday I sniffed (literally) the start of a UTI. I am currently researching what I need to do to prevent it from making me sick. I feel fine, I just have funny smelling pee.

Mark is struck by the fact that we have to run the dishwasher every day. With all 4 of us home eating all 3 meals a day at home, it’s not at all similar to our daily routine where none of us eat lunch at home during the week and often one or more of us is out at dinner time too. (Let’s grab burritos, let’s order a pizza, etc.)

I have to go figure out why American Airlines texted me this morning that my flight was cancelled. I thought I already cancelled that reservation when the trip was cancelled. (More about the cancelled trip to Cincinnati in another entry.)

Until later, or tomorrow.