We survived! It wasn’t always pretty, but we survived the first day of classes in this 
Covid-19 world. It was a day of emotional ups and downs. There were lots of deep breaths taken in the halls and pauses to remember that what is most important at this moment is our students.
I awoke very early this morning — around 4:00 — with lots of anxiousness in my heart. We had planned for today all summer long. I really think we were as ready as we possibly could be. But there were so many unknowns and so much change to our teaching that anxiety and apprehension gripped my heart. I tried to keep my morning as close to my normal routine as possible. In the quietness of the morning, I sat in my chair and read a few passages from Psalms to start my day. There, my heart was greeted with these words of hope: “For You make him most blessed forever; You make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.” (Psalm 21:6-7) I immediately felt peace and began to move forward with my day.
Some things were typical. Freshmen were a little stressed by all that was happening during their first morning as a music major. My colleagues and I were greeted by a variety of questions during the freshman orientation class. First piano lessons included lots of planning for the semester, setting goals, and reminding fingers how to move after a few months of rest. I accepted the fact that my summer of piano rest was going to mean that I would have to work quickly to get my hands moving again.
Some things did not go smoothly. My small group meeting as part of chapel started late because the video was marked as private. I still haven’t learned any of the names of our new students. (That was a major fail for me today that I will begin correcting tomorrow.) I spent a lot of time behind a closed door in my office because I simply did not want to wear a face mask for another minute. I had to remind students that physical contact — whether a hug or a handshake — was really not acceptable in this time of physical distancing.
When 5:00 rolled around, I packed up my bag and headed for the door. I walked to the end of the hall and the fatigue hit. I knew I needed to just sit down for a minute with friends and decompress. I made my way home 30 minutes later as my stomach growled. After feeding myself, I tried to do a little more work. It quickly became clear that nothing else was getting accomplished today. My brain is mush and my body is tired. So I sat in my chair, picked up my novel and continued reading. Tears flowed more freely than normal while reading. I think it was a combination of the story’s impact and the fact that I needed an emotional release. After several hours of intermittent tears, I feel as though I have cleansed myself of the day.
Now it’s time to prepare my heart and mind for tomorrow. This may be a very long semester.
Livin' Life 