Illustration by on_the-Boyle
Peanut Butter and Jelly
I sit at the computer responding to an email, wishing I was answering in person. I long for the days of going to work, getting the kids on the school bus, hanging out with friends, and eating at a restaurant. So much has changed. Teaching online rather than going to campus. Distance learning in place of school. Zoom calls replacing girls’ night. Takeout instead of eating in. Even the sole purpose of walking around the neighborhood is to get out of the house, not to exercise.
My son walks into the office. “Can I have peanut butter and jelly?”
“Don’t you want to try something else?”
“No, it’s my favorite,” he says. “I want to eat it every day.”
Every day.
The same lunch.
Every day.
The only constant in a world full of change.
We are living in a global pandemic that no one has ever seen before, and while we try to navigate this new norm, our children remind us that despite everything, some things will always stay the same.
Kathleen Kempert
A Jersey girl born and raised, Kathleen Kempert left the Garden State to attend college in Maryland and never looked back. She holds a Master of Science degree in Professional Writing from Towson University and currently teaches college English. When she isn’t doing “teacher stuff,” she likes to spend her time reading, writing, hiking, and spending time with her family. She has been published in The Dewdrop, Unlimited Literature, Literary Yard, and Down in the Dirt.
Lockdown BabyBabble 