(note the title of this journal is inspired by the song title by Jack Johnson, UCSB alum)
Hi, this is Lila, again! This week I have been doing some paintings of parts of my house. It is really enjoyable and, in general, a really fun activity and exercise for the mind and body.
One day after my virtual class was over, I sat on the deck and got myself set up with art supplies. I decided to paint what was around me. The first image is the painting I created of what I saw. Since then, I have been painting more regularly and I love it. Painting is very relaxing. I am going to make another painting for Mother’s Day this weekend. I will hide it so that it will be a big surprise for my mom.
I have been going on walks every single day! One walk that we really enjoy is a path that has a creek. My brother and I love jumping on rocks to cross over the water. If we fall in, we don’t care about getting a little wet. This week, we jumped so much and went almost to the end of the creek. Then as we were making our way to the end we saw a frog! It was all green and very calm. But we couldn’t walk anymore because there was a fallen tree in the way of the path. But at least we got to see that frog!
We also walked past a barn with holes pecked in all over it. It was a mystery for a few seconds of what did it and then out of nowhere a woodpecker came and started pecking even more holes into the side panel of the barn! The woodpecker flew away before we got a chance to take a picture.
I have been thinking a lot about all the things that have changed. Nowadays there are six feet away parades, six feet away funerals, six feet away weddings, and even six feet away dinners! That’s sure a lot of things with ‘six feet away’ in their name. I never could have imagined that there would ever be a time I lived in that had six feet away parties! I can still laugh about it though. The picture at the end of the entry is of me dancing six feet away from myself.
In my class, this week we are trying to memorize lines for a play. The play is called Sea Turtle Summer written by Spencer Kaydan. It is about a boy with his grandfather, grandmother, and a friend. In this book, the boy, Marco, finds a sea turtle. The sea turtle is hurt and doesn’t move. Marco feels really bad for it and he calls for help. The sea turtle gets taken to a place where people who know a lot about sea life, take care of it. They meet a caretaker there named Megan, who is very supportive. The sea turtle heals quickly and the day comes when it is time to put him back into the ocean, releasing him. They wave goodbye to the sea turtle, feeling both happy and sad at the same time. My part in the play is the character Megan. I think that my teacher wanted us to read this play because of the theme and the lesson to always be caring. Being thoughtful and taking care of others pays off. In the story, Marco and his family and friends help to save the turtle. It pays off in the end because they are so happy to see the sea turtle get better, and get released back into the world. This means to me that there is still hope in that story and in our lives. The Coronavirus is an ongoing dramatic story that we are living: there is drama--people getting sick, romance--people getting married or just realizing how they should always spend this much time together, heroism--doctors, villains--the virus, and suspense--waiting to see what happens next.
Happy quarantining! Until next time, virtually yours, Lila
Lila Kia-Keating is a 4th grader who lives with her family in Santa Barbara. When she isn't reading or writing, you can probably find her riding bikes with her brother or making friends with the neighborhood animals.