Riding my bike while wearing a walking boot during a pandemic continues to be part of my daily practice. (did I really just write that sentence?) The already low ceilings in my house seem to get lower as the day progresses so that by late afternoon I have to get out of the doll house and into the great wide open where there are no limits.

Colene's Foot In Her Walking Boot Cast As She Sits Astride Her Bike On The Day Of The Teacher Parade

On a recent outing I rolled up and out of our driveway and immediately I saw this man and his son sitting on the curb where our cul-de-sac meets the main road. “That’s kind of odd,” I thought as I pedaled past. Soon I was seeing more oddness, as other parents and children in ever increasing numbers, stood along the road talking or riding their bikes on the sidewalk. The sensation of family and community overwhelmed me when I reached our sizable church and saw its sizable parking lot filled with vehicles, children playing, parents standing around (practicing good social distancing) and others sitting in the beds of their trucks. Many people were lining the road and waiting for something, but what? I rode some distance but eventually my curiosity turned my bike back towards the church. I asked a lady, “what are you all doing?” She said that for an hour now they had been waiting for the teachers from Roberts Elementary School to drive by in their cars so the kids could see them.

Forty-five minutes later, refreshed and able to enjoy my home again, I was cooking dinner. That is when I heard the sound of cars honking and I realized the parade of teachers had arrived. I quickly grabbed my phone and made my way back to where I first saw the man and his son sitting on the curb. I watched as a stream of cars drove by with signs in the window and balloons bouncing on strings tied to side-view mirrors. The teacher’s heads were hanging out the window as they waved, yelling hello, and calling out some of the kids by name.

Any time you are deprived of something you are used to having its importance to you is glaring. Like the use of my right foot. Being fractured and in a boot, I just can’t move around the house like I am used to and I really miss that. We are all being deprived of the unlimited human contact we are used to. The relationships we form at school and at work really do mean something to us. But hang in there. Just like I will gain full mobility once my foot heals, we will all once again be able to freely meet and enjoy each other once again.

In the meantime, here is how I can help.

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  • I homeschooled my children for several years. If you now find yourself with children doing school at home and have questions on how to manage the day, I can help.
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