Tag Archives: coronavirus

A Year Ago

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A year ago, Ohioans were enjoying their last days of normalcy before the Covid 19 pandemic sunk its claws into life as we knew it.

Our Governor was proactive, declaring a State of Emergency when there were still just a handful of Covid cases here. Businesses struggled. People were laid off and struggling. We began wearing masks, learned about social distancing and realized that many adults don’t know how to wash their hands.

Supply shortages became the norm. But you don’t need me to tell you about 2020 because you lived it too.

I had a ticket to a Lukas Nelson concert and was planning a trip to Cleveland to learn about early women aviators. I had a plane ticket and was studying a road trip route. Surely, it would all be over by summer, right?

Yet, I had an inkling of what was to come. NPR had reported pretty aggressively about the virus and the shutdown in China where people were not allowed to leave their homes.

I kept wondering how that worked. How do you earn a living? How do you get groceries and supplies? How do you not lose your mind being stuck at home and worried about a virus that could either make you not sick at all or kill you in a most vicious way?

I had begun gathering supplies – paper products, groceries, toiletries, household stuff – partly to replenish what I had used from my winter stash and partly because I could see the writing on the wall.

Gratitude has helped me this year.

Yes, I was disappointed that travel was mostly cancelled and adventures have been slim. Yet I am grateful for so many things – my employer sent me home to work, I live in the country where it’s possible to breathe fresh air and move around some, my introverted self is quite happy with the idea of social distancing, Scout keeps me laughing, work keeps me busy, books keep my brain engaged, and I have found ways to adventure around the region and be safe doing it.

Anytime dissatisfaction leeches into my attitude I try to draw on these reminders of how fortunate I am.

I live an exceptionally good life where I stay busy and happy most days. I’m not in any real hurry for things to go back to normal because there are many benefits to how I live today.

The vaccine restrictions in Ohio now include people fifty and over so we are getting close to my decade. New CDC guidelines signal that things are loosening up.

For now though, I continue to be grateful for the life I live and empathetic for those who are struggling. I’m also hopeful that I will hold onto some of the routines and habits that have enriched my life for the last year and that my next new normal brings more satisfaction, adventure and joy than the old.

Cancelled Plans and Quarantines

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Anyone who has been reading here for a while might remember the Winter Survival Guide I wrote last fall. Well, it sadly, now contains much relevant advice for anyone who isn’t accustomed to staying at home for long periods of time.

Thanks to COVID – 19, lots more people know how to spell the word apocalypse and have such an enormous supply of toilet paper they won’t need to stock up for a few years. Many parents have learned that their kids aren’t such great students after all and that staying home from work isn’t so fun when you have nowhere to go.

The year just isn’t working out as planned.

There were a number of adventures on my calendar beginning this week so I have been working hard to coax myself out of the mindset that I’ll soon be out running around and exploring the world.

Friends, it has been a real challenge.

At this point, I go to the office and back home. Even my hair appointment got cancelled! I think I speak for ladies everywhere when I say that I’m not prepared to meet the four horsemen of the apocalypse with my roots showing but have no choice thanks to common sense and an order from the governor.

While work has kept me busy, home has made me lethargic. But I’m not the type to just sit around. Instead, I’m typically up and moving, busy with chores and trying to make the most of the little time I have each evening.

This has been a struggle as well

I have started a list of things to do/clean/read/organize/ research for a few weeks. Maybe when this all over, my house will be in order and all those little projects wrapped up.

Meanwhile, Scout is thrilled to have me home so at least someone is happy!

Stay safe, friends. Follow direction from the CDC and remember the quicker we all distance and quarantine ourselves, the quicker this will all be done and life can settle into a new normal.

There are better days ahead.

Preparedness

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I grew up in the country.

We were a single car family for a lot of my childhood so my mother went to town just once a week to do all her shopping. Back then, gas stations were closed on Sundays and there wasn’t a Dollar General in every hamlet across the country so, if you ran out of something, you likely did without until the next grocery trip.

I still live in the country but work in a town with a pharmacy, grocery, hardware and a couple of dollar stores. However, I attempt to limit my stops at the store, making a point to never need anything.

There are always plenty of supplies in my home – from toilet paper and rice to frozen vegetables and cat litter, I try to always have a supply of essentials on hand. This is especially true in the winter because you never know when you might be snowed in for a few days.

That’s probably why it’s so shocking to me to realize that other people don’t do this. Those who keep only a five day supply of food on hand are not my people. Those who could eat out of their pantry and freezer for a few months are.

And no, I’m not a hoarder – I tend to only keep what I can use – and bargain shop to get it. After all, if you don’t need something today, you can afford to wait for a sale later.

So I’ve been watching with interest as friends fearfully stock up on supplies like it’s a fresh concept. Last night I made one of my two monthly trips to Walmart. The goal was to pick up regular list items and to gather a few extra supplies I would need in a time of sickness or quarantine – Morningstar sausage patties, vegan chocolate chips, tissues, Clorox wipes, and cat food were on the list.

After all, if the zombie apocalypse is going to happen, we can’t have Scout going hungry!

You can see where people’s priorities are. As I suspected, the selection of toilet paper was picked over and the shelves nearly cleared of soap, Clorox wipes, bleach and other cleaning supplies.

The store seemed busier than it should be on a Tuesday night and it made me wonder if people are just out doing their normal thing or if they’re stocking up for the COVID-19 which will inevitably hit all our neighborhoods soon.

In case you’re looking for some friendly advice, I suggest always keeping the house stocked as though you might not be able to leave for a few days – not because of this virus but because things happen. Your car breaks down, you get a nasty stomach bug, there’s a snowstorm- any number of things could keep you at home at any time.

That means it’s always a good idea to have soap for hand washing and food for the whole family including the four legged kids.

And one last thing, fellow adventurers. Stay safe but don’t live in terror. Practice good hygiene and protect your personal space in public. If you’re sick, don’t go places where you might spread germs like work, public events or school. And if you know someone with a weakened immune system, offer to run their errands so they don’t have to be exposed to the germs of the masses.

But please, don’t stop living for fear of illness. Go live your life and do your thing within reason. This too shall pass.