Dear ECS: Where we are at

Dear ECS, 

Well it has again been a super duper long time since our last post.  Sorry about that sweetie.  I started this on a train between DC and NYC, tried to find some time (and failed, clearly) over the holidays and here it is in mid February.  So much has happened in our life it is hard to even think back to our last couple of updates about our summer cross country trip and the big fire in South Lake Tahoe.  So much has happened in our communities and in our world since those updates last summer.  

Now we have snow days and ski days, at least that is our dominate family recreation these days, both here in DC and out in Utah for the holidays.  Here are a few other new things; 

• Your new (2021-2022) bi-lingual 50/50 school. 
• A new language (Spanish) for you after several early years in the French system. 
• New music lessons for the ukulele and keyboard. 
• Our wonderful home here in Takoma Park. 
• New dear friends and playdates in the neighborhood. 
• New traditions - like Thanksgivings up in Maine for the next few years.  
• Beloved new local spots throughout the DMV. 

In some sense, after quite a whirlwind that had the Korol family live in 5 houses over 19 months across 2020 and 2021, we are able to settle into our life here.  I didn’t quite see how much work all that change was and am so mindful of how lucky we were to be able to make those changes through that period.  But sort of how it takes some time to gain perspective, I am seeing now how we all needed this time to take some deep breaths.  

Deep breaths help us calm our heart when we are scared or maybe a bit over our heads on a new ski slope.  Deep breaths help us make great music and art, together or as a solo act.  Deep breaths help us see the truth that might be a bit illusive.  Deep breaths bring us back to the present, from either an imagined future or reflecting back on a past we can’t change.  Deep breaths help us get through the comfortable and discomforting feelings while we are learning and growing.  Deep breaths make me grateful.  So we try to take some more deep breaths as a family. 

Things haven’t been super easy these last many months, of that there is no doubt.  Challenges for each of our family and challenges for us as a family.  How could it not - with Covid surges, more zoom school days, trying to do too much and juggle it all, plans disrupted (so many plans), and realizing the fragility of the systems we rely on to life in the world.  

We keep moving forward, helping each other and others.  And of course, our little dog, Rosy,  helps us all.  Onward. 

love,

dad