March 2020 — Everything is Changing

March started like any other month.

The gym. Bowling weekends.

Time with friends. Making plans.

Life still felt pretty normal.

But there was also a small question that had been sitting in the back of my mind for a couple of months.

Asking Better Questions

Earlier in the year, I had been invited to a Norwex party. At first, it was just curiosity, I had never heard of Norwex.

I started looking into the products, reading about what they were made of, and doing what I tend to do when something catches my attention — asking questions.

What exactly is in the products I use every day?

Are there better options?

Are there things I could change in my own home?

I am still exploring those questions.

Bowling, Pizza, and Friends

The first weekend of March, we were still doing what we always did — heading to bowling tournaments and spending time together.

There was bowling, a Chiefs championship pin, pizza, and the usual group photos in front of the lanes.

Just a normal weekend.

The kind of weekend you don’t realize you will miss until things aren’t normal anymore.

A week and a half later, we were back at another tournament.

More bowling.

More laughs.

More pictures.

At the time, it was just another fun weekend.

One Last Normal Day

On March 16th, I spent the day with my grandkids.

We went to Legoland, SeaLife Aquarium, and Fritz’s.

We laughed, explored, ate, and did what we always do — made memories together.

Around that same time, things started changing quickly.

Businesses began closing. Events were canceled.

The news became harder to ignore.

And then everything started moving faster than ever expected.

The Day Kansas City Went Quiet

A few days later, I still had to go into work.

On March 21st, I stopped to pick up breakfast from a Puerto Rican restaurant doing carryout and then drove through downtown Kansas City.

I don’t think I was prepared for what I saw.

A city that normally had people walking, cars moving, and life happening everywhere was almost completely empty.

No pedestrians.

No traffic.

One bus.

The security guard outside my building.

That was it.

It was one of those moments where you could feel that something had shifted.

The world outside my car looked familiar, but somehow completely different.

Finding a New Routine

Over the next few weeks, like everyone else, I am figuring out what this new normal looks like.

I am finding routines where I could.

I work out.

I run.

I spend time outside with Bandit.

I cook more.

I meal prep.

I continue working on a bedroom remodel.

When so much felt uncertain, these small, ordinary things are helping to keep me grounded.

A New Direction

And somewhere in the middle of all this uncertainty, those questions I had started asking back in January have become more important.

What do I bring into my home?

What choices am I making every day?

What changes actually make sense?

That curiosity that started with a Norwex party is becoming something more. I don’t know yet where it will lead — only that I want to keep learning.

But for now, I am not sure where this will go. I am taking care of my home.

Taking care of myself. Spending time outside.

Finding small moments of joy.

One day at a time.