As I write this, I’m one week into Illinois’ Stay at Home order. This is not a big change for me. I work from home anyway. And yes, my husband is here, but he mostly works in his area, and me in mine. Since my conferences have cancelled, this has already been a long stretch of regular at home writing. Or it should have been. Guess what I’ve been doing instead of writing? Hint: I’ll drop some of my favorite links for you to check out.
- Talking to my other extrovert friends. I’m used to a conference every month. It’s how I get my extrovert on. I start getting twitchy if I can’t travel somewhere every five weeks just to get out of my own home.
- Cleaning and organizing. I can see the top of my desk for the first time in a year!
- Watching the news. Obsessively. Another COVID-19 case reported in middle-of-nowhere Illinois!
- Being grateful I no longer have kids at home. While I’m getting rest and relaxation at home, friends with school-aged children are starting to look like they’ve lost the zombie apocalypse and are now just going to drink their way through it.
- YouTube. You name it, I’ve watched it. Stupid pet tricks, I’m there. Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Seed trivia? I’m glassy-eyed as it plays on my phone.
Answer: All of the Above – There’s a lot of time in my day now. My life used to be filled with racquetball, conferences, and get togethers with friends. I’m now staring at my husband and asking the eternal question, so what do we have to watch now? I’m trying not to make eating the center of my day. Peanut M&Ms give instant pleasure, and I can order that in bulk. I’ve been reading too, which is great. But it doesn’t exactly replace a 2-hour racquetball match for exercise. I’m very grateful for this time of recuperation, but I’m done now. Can I go swimming yet?
The answer, of course, is no. At this moment, COVID cases are climbing exponentially. What used to be something out there somewhere is crawling downstate from Chicago to my sleepy city. I’ve learned how to order groceries online. I’ve discovered Google hangouts as a way to connect with my adult children. But…um…I need to ship books to people who have ordered special BLC editions of Were-Geeks Save Wisconsin. (You can order yours on sale here: https://kathylyons.com/blc2020/ )
Do I go? I have been. We stand six feet apart and wave at each other. The postal workers wear gloves and masks and back up as we approach. But maybe I shouldn’t even be doing that? I had a seasonal allergy attack. Or did I? Maybe it was a mild case of COVID. I don’t know. And so I stare at the stack of packages and dither. Do I go? Do I not? And maybe—real soon—I’ll turn off the news and go back to writing. Because right now, my books are way more fun than another Chris Mann parody song (which I love!)
I am glad to hear your postal clerks have protective gear. Our daughter is a postal clerk and they got nothing at all until this week. We had nothing to give her to take in except gloves and she wouldn’t wear them. Thank goodness for some of her customers. They brought her packets of disinfectant wipes and small bottles of hand sanitizer. Her husband is a carrier and at least they got gloves a couple of weeks ago. Sadly there are those customers who will not maintain the 6 foot rule at the counter or in line. Thankfully they are on 2 weeks vacation that was planned several months ago. We worry about their staying safe and healthy since they are open to exposure at work.
I have not gone out for over 3 weeks. My husband has made a few grocery runs and had a CAT scan today. We have more than enough to keep us busy, but somehow nothing is getting done. I have my list made of what I want to do, did that the first few days. I need to get myself out of this ennui and do more. I did start weeding my flower beds. When the weather cooperates, I will work on them some more. I need to plan the plantings. It is still a bit early to plant but the stores already have them on sale. Since our state is not really taking this seriously (the governor just ordered shelter in place and restaurants and buffets just closed this week), I really do not feel like going out in the crowds. Yes the TV does tend to be left on all day. It is a bit like a train wreck. You can’t help but watch to see how bad it will be.
Take good care of yourself. Stay safe and healthy.
“but somehow nothing is getting done.” <-- exactly that! I've been inside for weeks now and I have so little to show for it! I'm glad your daughter and son-in-law are getting some vacation away from the scary public. Do your gardening if you can. And turn off the tv if you can. I found that helped my peace of mind enormously! I still catch up on the news in the morning and the evening, but other than that, it has to be off! HUGS!