Living through Pandemic

The Positive Side of Social Distancing

I’m an extrovert...I crave other people’s company. I’m not particular about who I spend time with, although there are some I prefer in small doses. I enjoy being with others! Social distancing is not my favorite thing…but right now it’s what we must do. My guess is that there are plenty of people out there in the same boat. I’ve written down a few things that I’m doing to help this Covid-19 phase go as smoothly as possible.

Going to my local library - not the physical location but visiting my local library's website. A lot of libraries have media that you can download. An ebook, magazine or even a movie might just be available. I love a library - they’re always there to help. Earlier this week I could not find my daughter’s library cards, so I called, George answered the phone and gave me their card numbers - and voila! I was able to download ebooks for all three daughters. They like graphic novels, but at a time like this I don’t care what they’re reading!

 

I’ve been hiking a lot, as in every day.There are at least 5 state parks that are less than a 20 minute drive from my home. The frequency of my hikes has definitely been influenced by our “step challenge” at work. Whoever logs the highest number of steps in the month of March wins (I’m in the lead, but don’t tell Kyle who desperately wants to beat me). Here’s how you can find a good state park - google “state parks near me” and you’ll have plenty to choose from. Spring is springing! It’s a beautiful time to spend an hour outdoors walking/hiking/biking. I have an app (there are many like it) on my phone that I can check if I think I could have made a wrong turn. Things to remember when doing it - tick check after (I’m in Connecticut where Lymes disease was discovered), take a flashlight if you’re going around sun up or sun down, carry water if you’re going to be out for more than a ½ hour (I have a great backpack), and look at the trail map before you go (bring it with you if you can). Not motivated? Challenge some friends, the winner doesn’t pay for your next dinner out the rest split! Bonus - it’ll keep you looking forward to less distant times

 

Mealtimes are fun these days! I have been dipping into the back of my pantry and freezer, and can’t believe what my kids have tried and liked. I usually work in the office, but I’m working from home now which means I can make a tomato sauce that simmers from lunchtime to dinnertime and is the most yummy sauce ever! My crock pot has been relocated to the top of my fridge and the other night my daughters used the blender (which came off the top of my fridge) to prep crepes! We sound terribly fancy...but I have to admit we had to look up a recipe on how to make them, and then we used them as dessert crepes and put ice cream and salted caramel on top. Being home means having “helpers” in the kitchen. They do their fair share of taste testing too. My all time favorite dinner is eggplant parm - my girls never would have tried it before but seeing me lightly fry the eggplant in olive oil, something shifted and everyone tried it! I have to admit not everyone liked it, but at least they tried it...

 

In a bit of a rage last weekend I opened the linen closet with rolled up sleeves and started going through it - why was it difficult to close sometimes? Why when there are only 4 beds in the house do I have about 582 sets of sheets? Mismatched sheets: why do I keep these things? Apparently for a time like this - some became rags and some I loaned to my youngest daughter to make a fort in the family room. The time I spent doing this is time I won’t have to spend when I can get together with family and friends - spring clean now - you won’t regret it!

I love to travel, I made a list, on the list are places I want to go (again or for the first time). Keeping a list has helped me march forward, which I like to do. I’m all for enjoying the present, but I also really like to plan. I believe once you put something out into the universe you’re one step closer to making it happen. So I would encourage everyone to keep a list...it can change. Take that first location and start looking at places to stay in the area, think about a budget - include airfare (if necessary), room & board...then figure out estimated dates. It’s fun to think about - and maybe once you start planning it’ll happen!

While I doubt any of us will forget this time of life anytime soon, I hope you find it easy. I hope you find lots of fun things to do, and embrace your inner (even if it’s buried deep like mine) introvert!

 

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