COVID-19 has turned my expectations of a YAV year upside-down and backwards. I am still going to work once a week at the Food Pantry but that is the extent of my adventures outside the constructs of social-distancing. Pastor Maggie has been great with finding ways for me to continue to serve in some capacity. I’ve been putting together short bible lessons with activity sheets to post for SONshine Church School. Even though I can’t see the kids, it at least gives me a way to feel like I’m still connecting with them. I am handling donation information and volunteer availability for the Health Department, though since the pandemic hasn't really impacted Chinook much at this point, that is slow going. But most days, I am just biding my time until productivity comes knocking.
What does such a day entail? Please enjoy a cheesy screenplay script- A Day in the Life: COVID-19 Edition.
A Day in the Life: COVID-19 Edition
Written by Emily Osborn
INT. HOUSE IN CHINOOK MONTANA. MORNING.
A Black Lab, FREEDOM, and an Airedale Terrier, DIXIE, begin to wake. The clock reads 4:30a.m. A groan can be heard from under the covers. EMILY glares at the clock with tired eyes.
EMILY
(mumbled) Ahhh heck no… too early. Go back to bed…
FREEDOM and DIXIE return to their spots on the bed. DIXIE on her side and FREEDOM at the foot of the bed, on EMILY’S feet. One hour passes. FREEDOM and DIXIE once again arise and begin to pester the sleeping EMILY. A quick glance at the clock followed by a sigh of resignation confirm that her day is about to begin. Porch DOOR opens.
EMILY
Out…
FREEDOM barrels through the door with DIXIE tight on his heels. EMILY slides the bedroom DOOR open and grabs the dog bowls, prepped with breakfast. In the background, FREEDOM is jumping at the closed porch DOOR, anxious to have breakfast. The bowls are placed in two corners of the room. EMILY opens the porch door, careful to keep her toes from getting crushed by over excited dogs. EMILY returns to bed for as long as FREEDOM and DIXIE will permit.
INT. MAIN ROOM. MID-MORNING.
FREEDOM is sleeping on the couch. DIXIE is sleeping on the floor. EMILY is trying to figure out what to do with herself TODAY. The options before her: ZUMBA, ANIMAL CROSSING, READING, SIMS 4, SKETCHING… She sets a timer and commits herself to a half hour of ZUMBA and rewards herself with ANIMAL CROSSING. According to the schedule she made for herself, EMILY should be working on writing her blog posts or reading DAKOTA: A SPIRITUAL GEOGRAPHY. The schedule, with good intentions behind it, remains ignored.
EMILY enters the KITCHEN. At the window pane, sits PHOEBE, a very needy but lovable cat. She has been meowing all MORNING. EMILY checks the clock. It now reads 12:07… She has not been productive this MORNING.
FADE IN:
FREEDOM and DIXIE have switched places. FREEDOM now naps in the sunlight on the floor. DIXIE is grumbling under her breath from the sofa.
1:00- EMILY has committed to reading the rest of DAKOTA, finishing the last section in about 45 minutes.
2:00- EMILY is seated at the PIANO. Procrastinating recording a bible lesson video… She begins to practice DOCTOR GRADUS AD PARNASSUM, shifts to practicing SONATA no.14, shifts again to DISNEY FAVORITES, and finishes with PIANO MAN.
3:30- EMILY opens iMOVIE and begins pull together her resources for the lesson. FREEDOM believes now is the best time to pester her for dinner, unaware that he still has another hour before EMILY caves to pup-pressure. EMILY puts him outside with DIXIE and returns to her project. EMILY records the videos in record time.
3:50- FREEDOM is jumping at the screen door. EMILY opens the door. He peers inside, inspecting the air for the scent of dinner. With a flick of the tail, he turns and runs back outside. EMILY begins editing her project until 4:15 when she checks on the dogs and goes to fill dog dishes.
4:30- FREEDOM is jumping and drooling all over the door. He heard the bowls being placed in their respective spots. DIXIE is sitting patiently outside the door, out of the way of FREEDOM’S craziness. The door is opened. FREEDOM flies into the room, as though his food might vanish before he reaches it. DIXIE trots over to her dish. Within ten minutes, both bowls are empty and licked clean.
FADE IN: INT. KITCHEN. EVENING
A brown paper bag lies on the counter. Its contents: HELLO FRESH prepped ingredients for TONIGHT’S dinner. EMILY carefully collects all of the necessary utensils and pans. She grabs the BUTTER, OIL, SALT, and PEPPER. The recipe claims to take 35 minutes. Cooking begins.
ONE HOUR LATER:
The KITCHEN is a mess but dinner is finally ready. EMILY grabs a serving and enjoys the fruits of her labor. Clean up commences after dinner. Dishes are piled in the sink from meals throughout the day. BROADWAY SOUNDTRACKS play in the background. EMILY dances and sings along while WASHING, DRYING, and PUTTING AWAY the dishes.
INT. MAIN ROOM. MID/LATE EVENING.
EMILY is sitting in the recliner. FREEDOM in the chair next to her, snoring loudly. DIXIE is stretched out on the adjacent couch. EMILY is watching TV, scrolling through FACEBOOK, and TEXTING friends. This is what the rest of the evening entails.
Around 8:30/9:00p.m. DIXIE has migrated to the door, nose pressed up against the frame, sighing heavily, telling EMILY she is ready for bed and wants to get her final evening “outing” over with. FREEDOM doesn’t budge until the door is opened.
9:30p.m. rolls around. Everyone is back in bed. FREEDOM has commandeered one of EMILY’S pillows. DIXIE is growling every time FREEDOM moves and encroaches on her half of the bed. EMILY is winding down with a book.
The LIGHT goes out. The PHONE is charging. No alarm is set. It’s another day of the stay-at-home order and will be for the foreseeable future. EMILY doesn’t know what she is doing TOMORROW but it will probably look very similar.
FADE OUT…
NOTES:
Throughout the day, EMILY is having one-sided conversations with FREEDOM and DIXIE. There is a clear decline in her verbal ENGLISH skills. She finds simple phrases have become TONGUE TWISTERS and “RUNNY BABBIT”-ish phrases. Despite the fact that none of her companions have the ability to speak ENGLISH, EMILY spends far too much time trying to correct herself, often giving up because she realizes no one in the HOUSE cares.