Quarantine Lockdown 101

I agree not everyone is stuck home.  Many essential workers are still very hard at work.  However, a very large portion of America is home with more time on their hands then usual.  A lot of us feel our lives have been put 'on hold'

But why is this?  

This new life is truly forcing us to see where our priorities stand.  

Do we have hobbies?  Are we bored? How are we spending our time?  What are we doing with our lives? 

What is the outcome?

I'll admit when I stop to really think this could be months of much of the same thing, day after day, it unsettles me.  So I don't.

I'm personally working from home and spending time at home, at a friend's or at our community pool.  It's a triangle of existence from one space to the next.  

Food is either delivered or cooked.

Day drinking seems to be a common past time among most.  Myself included, on the weekends, when I'm not working.  

My ex is keeping our kids for a while, so virtual school is off my plate for the time being.  I'm grateful for that.  

And as I scroll Facebook and see the hilarious memes, the homemade food and the ridiculous ways people seem to be spending their time, I keep thinking, 'Is everyone really okay?'

We have socially distanced, but we are socially connected online, via social media apps, or virtual chats like Zoom.  

I have seen and participated in Zoom Happy Hours.  This made me smile.  We are creating new ways to stay connected.  Will this form of interaction continue once lock down is over?

However, I come back to the beginning, are we going to go batty staying at home?  

What will be the true outcome of this new life? 

How will this end?

People are outdoors more.  Bike riding, running,  walking, walking their dog for the 10th time that day.  

We are out, but still from a distance.  

 

This is so true:  Running?

I asked a friend of mine what will he do once Quarantine is over.  Right away he said, "Go out to eat."  I thought, 'Ya, I really want to go to Bistro 424,' which is walking distance from my condo complex.  It's sorta like a modern day Cheers.  Locals who all live close and know one another.

They are sponsoring this amazing thing, and it happened by accident, families paying it forward by purchasing meals for delivery for other familes who are in need. It's done discreetly, and is a multi faceted giveback. It is now morphing into something bigger and kinder.  Helping feed our essential workers as well.  

These are the unexpected consequences turning something negative into something beautiful.

Sometimes we need to do something that feels good, to make us feel better about a situation beyond our control. 

This was sent with our food delivery last night.  A free soup.  It tasted better, because it was sent with kindness. 

Remember when people use to sit on their stoop, often in an Urban neighborhood.  It was the local spot to meet up, catch up and kill time with people you felt comfortable with.  Most of us haven't personally experienced this, but you've seen it on TV or in the movies or maybe have an older relative who's grew up hanging on "the stoop."

The convenience store, below my condo, has become that spot.  We are still appropriately distanced, but simply sitting and chatting for and hour or two, provides the social interaction that I'm sure many of us crave right now.

The store has been hoping lately too.  A lot of people coming and going. You never know who will show up and it's good to see people in person.  I know as long as they stay open, I won't need to go far, they have most essentials, and it's always better than going to the grocery store.  For me, those grocery store runs have been depressing. 

Being treated with kindness and respect is an important reminder that we are all connected, we are all coping with the same struggles, and no one is truly ever alone. 

Let's continue to find the small nuggets of goodness in each and every day.