Wednesday, March 25, 2020

#485 Keep Your Hands To Yourself


As one of my former bosses occasionally says, “What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here?”  (As a side-note, I always thought she was referring to ABC’s Wide World of Sports TV show, which aired from the early 60s through January 1998.  In looking that up, I also see that is a line in Mel Brooks’ movie Blazing Saddles.  Sue me - I’ve only seen Blazing Saddles once. 

Back to the madness at hand.  What IS going on here?  I jokingly call it the zombie apocalypse, but I am taking it very seriously.  So much has happened so quickly, my head is spinning. 

Like millions of other across the US and the world, I’m home for the time being.  I’m thankful that I can work remotely and have a nice little setup at my kitchen table right next to a window.  I don’t like working from home for long periods of time, but it’s going well.  I pray for those who are drastically affected by this and have either lost their job or are experiencing a reduction in pay. 

Going into week two, I miss my friends (from work and “regular” life).  I miss my family.  I miss my work chair.  I miss my routine:  gym, work, tennis, concerts, dinner with friends, watching the basketball tournaments on TV and in person.  I keep reminding myself it’s only an inconvenience.  I’m healthy.  I’m doing my part to keep others healthy. 

I’m not necessarily afraid of the coronavirus itself.  I don’t have any underlying conditions and am under 60, so I’m fine going to the grocery and drug stores.  I am not panicking.  I didn’t buy pallets of toilet paper or hand sanitizer (I already had enough TP, thank goodness).  I’ve been to Aldi twice to get some basics and it wasn’t bad.  My new goal is to see how long I can go without going back to the grocery store (although I am “on call” to for my parents).

Speaking of my parents, I am concerned about them.  They are 92 and 87, and otherwise healthy, but I worry about them catching COVID-19 at the grocery or at church (which is now closed).  I worry about them being even more isolated, since I am no longer visiting them weekly.  I’m trying to call them a couple times a day to check in.  Last week I braved Kroger to get groceries for them. 

I continue to wash my hands and keep them away from my face.  Am I the only person who has been doing this as a part of their daily life for years?  I now wonder if people thought I was anal for my clean-hand practices.  Besides washing my hands after using the bathroom, I wash my hands first thing when I get home.  I wash my hands when I return to the locker room after working out at my gym.  I keep an old garden glove in my car to put on when I get gas (I have been lax with this the past few months, so will start using it again).  I use hand sanitizer at my desk at work when I have a snack and at a restaurant when I’m too lazy to walk to the restroom.

My normal routine includes exercising most every day.  I’m a firm believer that regular exercise not only makes you feel better, but have a better frame of mind.  My gym is closed.  My weekly tennis group is cancelled.  Never fear!  I have lots of exercise books and “plans” in my repertoire so I’m good with indoor exercise.  Plus my gym is posting workouts on Instagram and I’ve been doing free yoga on www.downdogapp.com.  The temperatures have been rising some, so I have been walking outside.   

Being mostly an introvert, I’m cool with hanging out at home all day during the week.  But as I mentioned earlier, I miss people.  Strangely, it’s more fun to be at work in a building with other people.  Most people probably think, “I’d love to work at home all the time!” and then you do, and realize how isolating it is.  It’s ok for a couple of snow days.  Not so much when it’s several weeks and you fear it may turn into months, and you don’t talk to anyone, and you could get so much done around the house, but you have to work (hence the term working at home).  The commute is great.  The dress code is awesome.  A good trade-off I suppose. 

I try to keep up with new coronavirus information in the mornings and evenings, while not being overwhelmed with news.  I don’t watch the news 24-7.  It’s too depressing.  I keep Friends, Ellen or Dr. Pimple Popper on in the background.  I listen to Spotify.  In the evenings, I’ve been reading more, stocking up on books before the libraries closed. 

My hope during this widespread time of crisis is that people realize all the things they have been missing and haven’t made time for.  Notice I said, “made time.”  It’s not that we don’t have time to do something.  We don’t make time. 

We are now being forced to slow down our lives.  All-of-a-sudden we have the luxury of time.  To have dinner together.  Take walks together.  Have movie nights.  Play games.  Just be together.  Why is it that in “normal” times it’s a race to see how much we can cram into our lives?  It’s like we’re all trying to out-do each other to see how busy we can be.  I hear my friends constantly say they are “crazy busy.”  Why does it have to be that way?  Why can’t we be more balanced and not run ourselves ragged?  I do hope things change for the better. 

We don’t know how long all of this craziness will last.  Be informed from trusted news sources.  Don’t hoard groceries or supplies (there is enough!!).  Take breaks from following the news.  Take care of yourself and try to keep a familiar routine.  Eat well.  Get outside.  Stay safe.  Be well.  And keep your hands to yourself. 

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