I did not realize how much I enjoyed my mundane little world until I lost control of it. That’s what this dangerous and deadly virus has done to us. We can’t do what we want to do when we want to do it.
Never mind that this shift in reality is something as nonessential as going to a committee meeting. It’s not the meeting we miss. It’s the loss of choice for what I do at 4 p.m. every second Tuesday.
One of the interesting social experiments happening in my house is everyone watching to see if I will behave myself. Evidently the middle name my mother gave me when I was just a wee lass – “Go” – left my family and friends fearful that “sheltering in place” would not be a concept I would embrace.
Normally, they would have probably been correct. But, with my age and an underlying chronic respiratory illness, I’m not messing around. Even before it got difficult to misbehave (where would I go?), my behavior has been stellar.
It has been fun to watch my children try to “parent” me. They are boys, so they aren’t as good at it as bossy girls would be. But the love comes through, and I appreciate it.
Just for fun, I googled “boredom busters for adults.” What I found was a long list of things I will NOT be doing during my virus staycation:
- Learn to brew beer.
- Make beer popsicles.
- Train for Jeopardy.
- Paint by number.
- Make soap.
- Organize your spices.
- Learn to do nail art with nail polish.
- Scroll through Pinterest.
- Read another story about Meghan and Harry.
- Watch funny cat videos on YouTube.
Well, maybe just one…
Stay safe friends! This, too, will pass.
Sherri Gardner Howell has been writing about family life for newspapers and magazines since 1987.