Welcome to Club Quarantine. Membership, us. You’ve probably been stuck at home for the past month and it has probably already started taking its toll on you. Maybe your one-sided conversations with your pets have turned into two-sided conversations. Or maybe you hugged your fridge because its the only thing that provides for you during these trying times. Oh… that’s just me? Whoops.
Regardless of how you are coping with social distancing, you’re probably tired of it. I am too. With Winter starting to fade to Spring, there are more opportunities for sunshine and fresh air, but we still find ourselves needing to maintain distance. Something I have been asking myself for the past month is, “how do you properly seize the day when you can’t go out and do anything?”
I’ve found myself changing my normal ideas of how to seize the day, making these moments smaller, but still important. One way I seize the day is going out for a walk or bike ride each day (Michigan weather permitting) and it has become the highlight of every day, minus the social distance shuffle. For those who may not know, the social distance shuffle is the awkward exchange you have with someone else as you try and measure out 6ft of distance in your head while still trying to be polite.
Another way I’ve been making the most of my days is by calling friends and family frequently. Since I can’t meet with anyone in person, I have been calling my parents nearly daily and calling my friends with about the same frequency. This has helped me feel like there is someone else with me–a lot of the time we don’t even talk about anything, but we are just kind of there on the phone with each other. In fact, I was on the phone with Jim this morning and he forgot I was on the phone after 20 minutes of silence…
The final way that I have been seizing my days has been supporting local businesses and being kind to others. In order to maintain my fragile sanity, I have still been getting carry-out or delivery every few days. This helps the local restaurants that I have come to know and love, while also giving me an opportunity to help an individual directly with a kind note left on my door and a higher-than-normal tip. The food brings a smile to my face and all that I can hope is that the note and tip bring a smile to theirs.
We are all in this together and we will get through this. It is going to take some time and I know that I and many others will get frustrated, angry, and upset at times. Those emotions are all normal and valid. Try to recognize them within yourself and find an outlet for them so they don’t harm others. In times like these, we need to love one another and understand that we are all a bit scared and worried, but deep down, I know we will get through this.
As Winston Churchill said, "If you are going through Hell, keep going.”