This isolation has been relatively painless for us. I don't think I've left my property since the beginning of March. We live in the country so there's plenty for us to do on nice days. On rainy days, I cook big meals, clean, or watch tv. Every night I read for 2-3 hours.
I've been enjoying a few blogs that have been journaling their isolation. I like to read what other people do with their time. Some are making masks, others are cooking or baking. A few are gardening. (I'm in this group.)
In the US, we're closing in on the peak of the virus, or so they say. That means a few more weeks of down time. I'm bracing myself for all the gripers who'll complain that we either did too little or did too much that inconvenienced them.
In a few months, no doubt most everyone will forget about the long hours grocery clerks, delivery people, and health care workers put in. It's human nature to be ungrateful, or at the very least forgetful.
I hope people remember the good things about isolation.
- Having real conversations with family.
- Checking on all those we didn't see for weeks at a time and really caring about them.
- Not spending gobs of money on stupid splurges.
- Sleeping more.
- Learning where my gaps were that kept me from being more self sufficient.
- Saving money on gas!
- Exploring your neighborhood (or your property) while still social distancing.
I miss garage sales, but other than that there's really not much I needed from the outside world. While we did lose a bit of our retirement fund via the stock market, with time it'll come back to where it was. In the meantime, we're saving a lot of money not zipping out for this or that.
Another thing I've noticed is that we use up everything. Nothing goes to waste. If I'm missing something to complete a project or a meal, I improvise. I imagine it was like this all the time in my grandmother's day, so I feel proud to be just as resilient.
It's an unprecedented opportunity, and not one we'll see again in our lifetime. For a few months you got to learn what you're really made of. That's worth something, at least to me. I've always wondered if I was up to the task of doing without or making do. Now I know.
What do you think? Have you learned anything about yourself?
Let me leave you with an especially epic video from a young family in the UK. That's what I call entertainment!
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