Quarantined And Loving It!

First, a few things about me:

  • I’m a bit of an introvert;
  • I’m in several of the risk categories (diabetes, asthma, “elderly”); and
  • I’m really a serious introvert.

I always thought I was more of an introvert and this quarantine has proved that that is absolutely true. I am working half time and my husband is still working at his shop, so I am alone (with the dogs, parakeet, and parrot) from about 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. And it is blissful. Well, the working part is a little stressful, but the rest of it is amazing.

So how am I spending my time and what have I learned in this process? I’m doing several different things which are helping me not go crazy.

I’m going to bed at my normal time (which is later than it should be) and waking without an alarm just about exactly 8 hours later. That must mean I need 8 hours of sleep and I certainly haven’t been getting that . . . for several years. I will do better at getting enough sleep.

In most of my “off” time, I’m doing all the “must do” organizing/cleaning out/trashing tasks I should have been doing for the last few years but didn’t make time for. So far I have cleaned out and organized my closet (who knew there was a beautiful floor there?), cleaned out my bathroom cabinets, cleaned out my pantry and laundry closet and shelves, and cleaned out my refrigerator. This week I’m working on the Big Mama of projects–my office! Then I will have my linen closet, freezer, and then actually going through the clothes in my closet and getting rid of lots of those left to do. After that? I have a gigantic box of photos to get digital and organized! I’m sure I won’t run out of projects.

I am spending some time online (but trying to avoid the news scare tactics) following up on my friends and family and getting through some training that I had been neglecting. And Candy Crush seriously needs to stop giving me unlimited lives every day!

I am watching some television–but not just because everyone else is (I have NOT been dragged into the Tiger King saga but am loving Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist!), but I am not binging on shows just because I can. I did today get 30 days free of BroadwayHD, so I may be binging on some of that!

I am reading! I haven’t done that for a very long time and started when I was having some anxiety waking me up at 1 a.m. until I could go back to sleep about an hour or so later. Anxiety was kind of a new deal for me. I was diagnosed with it years ago, had a really bad reaction to some medication, and just dealt with it after that. My anxiety is not severe (obviously) but it is there. I feel it creeping into the corners of my life at various times. Right now, it is there a lot. I have risk factors, I have allergies that are making me sneeze, cough, and triggering my asthma, which causes my anxiety to convince me I’m getting coronavirus and will die all without seeing my parents, siblings, kids, and grandbabies one last time. So trying to quiet that anxiety has been a little bit of a challenge.

My friends and I have a virtual happy hour every week where we get on a video call at the same time with an adult beverage of choice and catch up on what we have going on. It’s not exactly the same as meeting in person and having a wonderful dinner, but it works for now. Last night we discussed the first thing we would do once the quarantine was over, and everyone agreed after haircuts, nails, and brow/face waxing, we would get together for dinner!

My local work office has had two video happy hours just to check in with each other, meet our pets, and make sure everyone is doing OK and has what they need. It has been invaluable to me. I realized I missed talking to my peeps every day and this really helps.

I usually have beauty appointments every weekend and those have all been canceled. I know I will be DESPERATE for those services when I am able to return, so in the meantime, I’m trying to show my appreciation for all they do (and hold my place in line) by still sending them money when I would have been in. It’s my small way of loving on my beauty tribe and doing what I can until I can see them again. As long as I’m getting a full paycheck and would have spent it on them anyway, I feel like they need the help because they don’t have a PTO bank or unemployment benefits.

I am not being fanatical about my risk of catching the virus, but I’m not making it easy either. I’ve been out of the house three times in the last three weeks, twice to pick up timecards and deliver paychecks to my husband’s employees when he was out of town, and once to pick up my groceries in the pick-up spot in front of the store. I was using that service before all this started and it is still invaluable to me.

I’m not really sure how I will handle being out in public again because I could sure get used to this, but my husband is talking about retiring when he can and I can’t work while he is here, so I don’t think this bliss will last long. And he is really surprised at how well I’m doing trapped in the house all day. Perhaps some of that is because of perspective–I’m not trapped, I’m in my happy place. And once I get it cleaned out, it will be my even happier place!

I am super disappointed that my grandson’s graduation ceremony in Santa Fe has been canceled, both for having his senior year and all that goes with that ruined for him and because I was so looking forward to watching him walk across that stage and receive lots of accolades, but as soon as we can travel, we’re heading over there to give them all a big hug!

I may not be handling things the same way you would, but it is working for me. However you are handling this pandemic, please do be safe, be healthy, and be kind. Show love and support to those cashiers, delivery drivers, restaurant cooks, nurses, janitors, doctors, teachers, truck drivers, police, fire, EMTs, and all the others who still have to work to make life easier on the rest of us without much recognition about their risks of contracting the virus in their daily job. It’s one reason I yell “thank you” out the front door when the Amazon, FedEx, or UPS driver makes a delivery or at the grocery store to the employees helping me. Take a minute and thank the people making you more comfortable. They really are risking their lives for you!