My daughter started to get sick last night. It was just a cough, but my wife and I were still concerned due to the current global pandemic climate.

And the local atmosphere is rather…irresponsible regarding the pandemic. We’ve tried to be extra careful. All of that being said, our daughter woke up this morning with a worse cough and a fever, so we took her to get tested for COVID today.

It broke her heart, and mine in the process, since I had to hold her while they swabbed her.

After her COVID test, we came back home, I canceled my appointments for today, and I spent most of the day in bed with my daughter.

She held me prisoner with her little 2-year-old pouts and giant eyes. Every time I tried to get up to use the restroom, eat, or refill my water she would follow me and yell at me to LAY. DOWN.

And so today was a lazy day for me as I tried to comfort my sick child.

At the end of the day, I got a little bit of drawing done, and tried something new.

It was a doodling exercise, like free writing, but without the words. I just put stylus to screen and let go. I doodled repeating patterns, slow curves, agitated lines…whatever wanted to come out.

It was cathartic.

I did manage to get a ton of reading and writing done today, though. It was honestly just drawing and tattooing that “suffered” from staying home with my sick kiddo.

What was awesome?

Keeping the streak going.

Cuddling my daughter to help her feel better.

What needs work?

The larger societal issues with COVID.

What did I learn?

I feel zero guilt about putting my family first.

And don’t forget to check out CreateQuest – a project that I’m working on with Chris Beaven. It’s our mission to bring creatives together in an empowering community with a focus on improving the world, not just changing it.