What I'm Thinking About All of This in These Foolish Things

Okay. I do want to write after all. I have a lot of thoughts on this whole Corona situation. Now keep in mind that this list is going to be fluid and I’m definitely not saying that I’m correct, so please be gentle in your comments. BUT. Here’s what I’m thinking about at the moment:

• Regarding social distancing, I’m not so sure that six feet apart is far enough. Why do I think this? So, I live in an urban setting, right? And urban settings are getting hit so hard with this disease. I mean, I get it - we’re in closer proximity to each other. And staying six feet apart is supposed to help us stay away from the droplets that come out of an infected person’s mouth. BUT! On Saturday I was walking on the city trail along with hundreds and hundreds of other people. We all wanted to get out on a beautiful day and get some exercise. But I could hear people breathing hard, even when we were over six feet apart. Like, when you’re PUSHING air out of your lungs and the wind is blowing…think about how far your breath can travel. Also, I was walking the dog and nearing my apartment building and there was a guy smoking a cigarette on the stoop. I was about 20 feet away and the wind was blowing and I could smell and TASTE that smoke! That’s the stuff that came out of his lungs (along with the potential of coronavirus, right?). AND this morning I was walking the dog through a park (the only other people in there were a couple of dog walkers, security and cleaners) and a guy was spraying down the handles of the trash bin and I was probably 50 feet away from him…but I still got particles of the disinfectant in my mouth and nose - I could smell and taste them! Which brings me to my next bullet point.

• Mask wearing. I got an N95 mask from my brother, just one. And he told me how to be very careful and reuse it by putting it into a paper bag and letting it sit for a week in a cool, dry place. I wore it and sunglasses (eye protection) and a hat and gloves for when I went to pick up my parents’ meds and some supplies for them (and me) over the weekend. But other than that, I haven’t been wearing masks. I’m about to change that. I’m going to start wearing a makeshift mask when I go out from now on. I’ve seen a good video on how to make one with a bandana and some elastic hair ties and I’m going to make one (actually, multiples so I can wash them over and over) and filter it with a folded up paper towel. I realize that the jury is out on mask wearing, but even if the very LEAST of the effect is that people will stay a little farther away from me, then it will be a success. I have also been thinking about how wearing masks might become more of a “thing” here in the US as they have become in other countries (particularly Aisan countries). Something to think about.

• If you are divorced and have kids who are going back and forth and your ex lives with a new significant other and your ex is a medical worker, essential employee, etc… you are NOT practicing safe social distancing, no matter how careful you say you are being. I had a Circle Back from a guy I was seeing last year around this time who started texting me about the updates I’m posting on social media and how much he is enjoying them, and then he started telling me about the kid situation and I didn’t want to tell him that I thought what he was doing with shipping his kids back and forth was dangerous, but DAMN. I hate to say this, but I didn’t really want anything to do with the guy. I suppose this pandemic is giving me a hard shell and that’s really sad, but to be honest, I am in self-preservation mode. I am taking care of me, my dog, my parents and my brother’s family as much as I can from a distance and I believe I’m helping others by staying as far away as I can. It’s heartbreaking and horrible, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

• I do believe this is going to get better. We are going to come out of this, but not without some heartbreak and I’m currently feeling heartbreak and bracing for worse. We have just GOT to get through this.

• Working from home is good and I like it. I have set up a little workspace in my apartment and I’m actually surprised by how well it works. I enjoy staying away from others and conference calls for the most part, and I absolutely LOVE being able to take little breaks and walk the dog and make my lunch in my own kitchen. I don’t know how long it will last. I am hearing of layoffs and furloughs and all kinds of economic disaster, but I can only cross that bridge when I get to it. I did have a phone interview with a recruiter yesterday for a development job that sounds interesting, but apparently the job doesn’t pay nearly as much as I make right now. I told her that I was still interested in discussing with the company because you just never know… I do need to keep my search up. It’s going to get wild and wooly out there. Our CEO called a Skype meeting with the business leaders today. This should get interesting

• Healthy living. It comes and it goes. I got really good with my early morning workouts. Finally, after being afraid to work out after my carotid dissection (I’m coming up on a year since that happened), I have been doing early morning video workouts and I have been loving them! 30 minutes in the morning get the body moving and the good sweat going. But I will confess that for the last two days I didn’t have it in me. Yesterday I had a very important call with my boss that I needed to prep for, and this morning…well, I just didn’t have it in me. I KNOW that I feel better when I do a good workout, so I’m going to promise myself that I’ll do it tomorrow morning, but I cut myself some slack this morning. Sometimes you gotta let yourself slack - just not every day! Gotta stay on top of this! Same goes for eating - which should be a whole other entry!

Okay, better get a move-on. I have a webinar in a few minutes and I need to get some other stuff out, but I’m glad I wrote this entry. I’m sure it’ll all change tomorrow, but these are today’s thoughts.

I hope you all are staying healthy and well.

Stay home!!!
GS