March 2020
Hello from Orlando…
What a difference a month makes. In my last newsletter, my focus was on starting Blake Jordan #7. Thirty days later, my focus has changed. I’m sure yours has, too.
We went on lockdown sometime last week, only allowed to leave the house to go to the grocery store where most of the things you’d want to buy are out of stock, anyway, and a few others places.
It’s an unsettling time. That’s for sure. Every day I check the news and I think, It can’t possibly get any worse, can it? I get my answer the next morning when I check again…
I’ve been reading a lot more lately. Not just the news… I’ve been reading fiction to try and escape for a while. I’ve noticed more of my books are being downloaded, too.
So I must not be alone.
I think one of the reasons why people read fiction is that while the stories and heroics of the characters might not reflect real life, the nature of a story does.
In the end, the good guys win, one way or another. Always have. Always will.
What else can we do while we all wait this out?
Pray. Slow down. Pay attention to the things that really matter in life.
In the Fite house, a lot has changed. My boys, who are 7 and 11, went on spring break two weeks ago and are now going to school virtually from our home.
We’ve taken late afternoon walks around our neighborhood after dinner, which we never really seemed to find time to do before all of this happened (why is that?).
We learned how to order grocery deliveries through instacart (mind blown).
We hid Easter eggs around the house for the boys to find.
We played pinball, the game of life, and wrestled in the living room.
We worshipped from home on Sundays using our church’s Facebook live broadcasts.
I taught my oldest how to mow the lawn (again).
We had a teacher parade, where the kids’ teachers drove by area neighborhoods, waving hello to the kids they miss while giving the kids something to look forward to.
We finally have the time now to spend with the family. But the truth is, we’ve always had the time. Maybe we just never prioritized our lives the way we are now…
The number of American lives lost from COVID-19 has now surpassed 9/11. Even more in other countries. If reports are true, things will get worse before they get better, but we’ll get through this. Because we’ve come together before and we can do it again.
Just from a distance this time…
And because we know how stories, fictional or not, end when all is said and done.
The good guys may get bruised and banged up, but they always get to the other side.
We will, too.
Stay positive and stay safe out there. We’ll get through this. -Ken