Life in the Time of Corona

Another week has gone by, and there is still no clear end in sight for our self-quarantine.

I’ve made slow but steady progress on my photo project, giving descriptive names to the photos that I had digitized in recent years. I’m now past the halfway point (I’m on roll 112 out of 200). We’re still chuckling at the amusing photos from when our daughter was small.

I’ve also made progress on the books that have been sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. Interestingly, many of these books came from my clients. When clients are downsizing books and getting them ready for donation, I will sometimes pull out one and ask if I can take it home to read. They always agree enthusiastically, as it’s hard for them to get rid of books and they are glad to know that the book is going to be read at least one more time.

Here are a few more activities I’ve adopted in recent weeks:

Virtual Exercising

For years, I have been working out with a personal trainer. Twice a week, he rings my doorbell at the appointed time, and I work out using exercise equipment that we have gathered over the years: weights, kettle bells, resistance bands, etc. I know how to use this equipment and can do this workout without him, but if he doesn’t ring my bell, I don’t exercise. I know that about myself and hiring him is how I keep myself honest.

When the coronavirus hit NYC with a passion, he and his family decamped for his house in another state. We took a week off, and now we are exercising virtually. We connect via FaceTime, and it’s the next best thing to him being there. Since I spend most of my time sitting around, I’m grateful that we have figured out how to keep me active. It definitely breaks up the week.

The extra added bonus is that my daughter is working out with us. Unlike me, she loves to exercise. She is extremely fit (and 22) so he comes up with stuff for her to do that is beyond what I can do. (Sometimes it’s the same as what I do but for longer time and with heavier weights!) Having my daughter involved makes it more enjoyable and keeps me motivated.

Fun With Hand-Washing

I think I have washed my hands more in the last three weeks than I did in the previous three years. Since 20 seconds is the recommended length of time for hand-washing, social media and other sites have been sharing ideas for songs that you can sing to ensure that you don’t stop before 20 seconds is up. The one that spoke to me was “A Spoonful of Sugar” from “Mary Poppins”. I’m a musical theater gal, so of course my hand-washing song had to be from a musical! I also like the message of the song: if you make something fun, it becomes less tedious. And it’s also perfect for my voice!

This has made hand-washing a much more fun task for me. What song have you been using?

Give Yourself Rewards

If you are used to a day with a lot of structure, it can be confusing when that structure goes away. I’m used to working from home, but what’s new for me is staying inside all the time (except for walking the dog or shopping for groceries). Having all that endless time, paradoxically, can make it hard to be productive. One can easily lose one’s way reading all the funny memes on social media or diving deeply into the news cycle.

One way that I have stayed productive is to set myself goals for the day, and then allowing myself to do my own thing when those goals are finished. Once I’ve checked everything off my to-do list for the day, I can start working on my photo project, or read a book, or watch videos on Facebook. Doing my personal stuff is a reward for getting my work done.

Wishing you all a spoonful of sugar as we wait this out.

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