My older daughter is sixteen and signed up for driver’s ed when she was about ten minutes into her fifteenth birthday. She completed the course, did the live lessons, passed her driver’s ed test, and then in January scheduled and passed her in-car lesson. Soon thereafter, she put March 17 on the calendar as the day she would get her license. She actually turned 16 and 90 days on March 15, but the BMV is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Then on March 16 the Governor shut down the state. Including the BMVs. It’s one of those disappointments that pales in comparison to much of the suffering people are experiencing, but this isn’t a contest. She was disappointed, and I felt bad for her. Which is why I scheduled an appointment at the BMV very soon after they reopened. (It’s a good thing she finished her in-car test before Coronavirus; they aren’t scheduling those at this time.)

The BMV experience was great. We scheduled online, arrived a few minutes early, and stood inline outdoors while an employee checked that we had an appointment and all the necessary paperwork. The employee and security guard were in masks, we were in masks, and most of the other BMV patrons were in masks. Inside, the stations were spaced six feet apart, and they had removed most of the waiting area chairs so that they were all six feet apart as well. I waited in a chair while the clerk helped Ellie, then we switched places when it was time for me to sign and pay.

Another thing that reopened recently is my younger daughter’s dance studio. It’s a “new normal” reopening, with face masks, physical distancing, and a lot of other precautions. But we were comfortable enough with the plan that we signed her up for the two days of workshops.

This morning I was making cheese and lost track of time until it was about ten minutes before we needed to leave to drop the younger at the studio. I asked the older if she would drive her younger sister, and she said yes! It’s a weird feeling, slightly worrisome, but mostly a relief to have some additional options. When school starts back, Ellie will drop her Madeline at middle school on her way to her high school.

Coronavirus hit at a weird time. It was already a time of many changes, but this pause is making it seem like they’re all hitting at once. I had no idea on March 12 that I was doing my last high school drop off. Or that afternoon pickup that day would be my last on the elementary school side. I feel like my daughter will exit this period much more of an adult than when we entered. I guess we all will be changed, but some changes are bigger than others.