Homeschooling My Overseas Grandson… Gifts of the Current Times

It’s not hard to find the silver lining amidst the unknowns, frustrations, and chaos. The Aina (earth) is thanking us with clearer skies, cleaner air, vibrant colors, and an “air” of levity that calms and nurtures us in ways we only consciously glimpse, but take home with us deep in our souls.

Healthy Air and Surreal Views 

In India, the world’s leader in air pollution, PM2.5 levels have dropped 70%, and locals are saying they are seeing the Himalayas for the 1st time.

I think we can all relate to that in our own towns. I could see the outer islands and local West Maui Mountains, but not from the plethora of vantage points that I do today. And definitely not in the detail and vibrancy that I do every day now. The air and the Aina seem calmer and happier, and I can almost hear a faint “Mahalo” in the gentle breeze.

On Maui No2, So2  & Co2 are not measurable today; PM2.5 is so low it only registers in 2 busy Maui towns in Central and South Maui, and those too are within healthy limits according to the Hawaii State Department of Health. Live Readings Across Hawaii: PM10, PM2.5, NO2, CO, O3, SO2

Quality Time and Heightened Productivity

I’m also grateful for the quality time that I’ve had restored, freeing me from the clutches of the demands of everyday life, that had swallowed my sense of direction of the highest and best use of my time for years. It has been a powerful lesson to experience first hand, how much of my work can be done just as well or better focused at home, than out on the road, in an office, or at a physical Open House. And the time it has gifted me in productivity, with special loved ones, and for creative endeavors is a treasure I get to keep forever forward.

Homeschooling My Overseas Grandson

But the biggest gift from Covid-19 for me has been by far the daily quality time it has afforded me with my 7-year-old grandson 3,291 miles away. My daughter, his mother, and he are the most important treasures of my life, and the busy hustle and bustle of everyday living makes regular quality face-time something that has been unattainable in any regularity. I get to help both my grandson, and my daughter, who is working through the final academic requirements of her 2nd year in law school, while having to concurrently homeschool her son. I’m reminded of Harry Chapin’s Cats in the Cradle. After each visit I leave off where I saw him last remembering his every quality and marveling at his youthful wisdom, yet when we reconnect, he proves to have grown into a wiser, more beautiful, and capable person, and I wish I could watch more as his life blossoms.

Now every day at 6:30 AM Hawaii Time, I get to Zoom Home School Blake for 30 mins! (Or FaceTime depending) Then!! At 7:30 AM Hawaii Time I get to call video call back for lesson two 🙂

We do math and reading, and every once in a while, we get to play board games!! I had purchased two board games Dec of 2018 that could be played remotely, and sent him one set, hoping for video game time with him. Yet, much to my dismay, every time I called to invite a game, he had something else he had to do or would’ve rather done. Temptations of a busy life spent running around between school, sports, and friends.

Now we get to play EVERY DAY, and I get to contribute and be a part of a critical part of his upbringing — his education! But most of all, I get to have an even bigger impact on his life by playing this special role as 2nd Grade Teacher, and seeding into his subconscious, just how loved and important he is to his grandma! Thank you universe for this special gift amidst the chaos.