The Best of a Bad Situation


The global corona virus pandemic is the most frightening situation I’ve ever experienced. The virus could but isn’t likely to kill me, but with no one to care for me should I fall ill, avoiding possible contagion is my top priority. Consequently, I’m homebound for the foreseeable future.

Were I to get sick, friends would take care of me. Tony and Jesse have looked after me for years and rescued me too many times to count. They’ve drug me along to lots of events since Andy died which has expanded my circle of local friends. I’m grateful, and owe it to them and others who’d help me to minimize my risk of exposure.

Staying in the moment is my second priority. Nobody knows how long social distancing, massive closures, and sheltering in place will be with us. Sooner or later, things will return to more-or-less normal. Until then, I’m trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Everyone’s situation is different. In truth, mine isn’t so bad. I can work from home and will keep getting paychecks. My heart goes out to those who’ve lost livelihoods. I’m deeply grateful for the men and women who keep working when perhaps they’d rather stay home.

Working from home isn’t new to me. I’m familiar with remote technology options and have used many before. Teaching my class from home poses a few new challenges — especially around testing — but tech-savvy colleagues are sharing lots of helpful information and suggestions.

Given the historical significance of the moment, I’m writing in my journal every day. In addition to my thoughts and feelings about what’s going on, I end every entry with a silver-lining or two.

The big plus is an abundance of time. Keeping up with teaching and other demands of the day job is still a full-time job. Between the commute and dressing for work, however, staying home frees an extra hour or two a day. Minimizing errands saves still more time.

Based on current information, I’m likely to be staying home for another six- to eight-weeks — maybe longer. We won’t know for a while. Two months is a long time to go without seeing friends and coworkers.

This is an opportunity to make exercise a regular part of my routine again. I ran three miles yesterday for the first time since October and hope to run every other day-ish. The gym is off limits, but guided workouts are available online and via free apps for the days I don’t run.

Going to the grocery less often will cause me to lose weight. Too much junk ends up in my cart — including big packages of baked goods as my reward for enduring the damn store. My junk food supply will be depleted long before I run out of stuff to eat. Look out, skinny — I’m coming for you.

I’ll keep you posted. Devoting more time to this here blog thingy is another priority. Stay well!