CREATIVITY DURING COVID

Ibrought a little girl to life during COVID-19. I really did! But it’s not a medical miracle as you may assume. No, quite different from that. Let me explain. On March 7, 2020, my plane touched down at Edmonton International Airport. Mexico had been warm and bright and I carried high hopes of cheerfully finishing out the winter with lots of stored up vitamin D and colourful memories from the sunny south.

I arrived home to the sound of clanging alarm bells. COVID-19 had stuck with a vengeance in my absence. Within days, the day program for my two dependent daughters was shut down and they were relegated to staying in the house. When even the NHL was cancelled, I knew we were in trouble. This was no joke. At our house we settled in 24 hours a day, strictly at home to keep my girls safe. We quickly learned the ropes of living in isolation. Curbside pickup of groceries ordered online. Medical supplies from

How I ‘brought a young girl to life’ during quarantine

pharmacy and nutrition clinic dropped on the doorstep. Socially distanced visits in my unheated garage with a few who dared to come.

This was not the way to live, and not the way I had ever lived before. I need people. I need smiles. I need hugs. March was long and lonely, brightened at times by offerings covertly left by the door, Tim Horton’s coffee, a cake, a card, a roll of toilet paper adorned with a red ribbon. Those bits of sunshine helped, but oh, how disheartening were those rumours of, “well, maybe by summer.” We felt a strange abandonment, slogging it out alone, month after month.

For many years, a little girl named Dot had been bouncing around in my mind. She was ten years old. The era was Saskatchewan, 1955. Dot was a Prairie farm girl with outstanding courage and determination. What to do in these long days of COVID isolation? I knew the exact answer to that.

I brought Dot Cleaver to life and set her free. Her story leaped off my keyboard: the losses she encountered; her oneroom school; horse and buggy transportation; a school bully; housekeepers and a stepmom. Dot had spunk and spirit in the face of adversity and loneliness. It was my privilege and delight to wander with Dot back to Saskatchewan, escaping the fear and heaviness of our current situation.

Today, Dot is flying off to Kindle, Kobo, bookstores and parts unknown! I say, good luck, Dot on the Prairie. Spread your hope and love and courage to Canadians who need your attitude just now. Dot is an amiable companion who gave me fulfillment and purpose in uncertain days, and so I encourage all Canadians to find your “Dot.” Revive an old skill, make a quilt, do some woodwork, paint a picture, or read a book. Grant yourself the gift of taking time to bring something to life. n