Thursday, March 26, 2020

Really Random Thursday, 3/26/20


Wait. What day is it? Oh, yes, now I remember. Thursday...

Is that how you feel these days? Days just seem to run into one another without much difference from one to the next.

My feelings run the gamut. Hope, bewilderment, anxiety. I read an article the other day saying what we are feeling is actually grief. That is how I feel. Grief over loss of normal routine, grief over loss of events we were looking forward to that are now either postponed or canceled altogether, grief over separation from family and friends, grief over the many people who are sick and the many people who have passed away, grief over not knowing how.much.longer.this.will.go.on.

Anything that can give us a little respite is welcome.

So far we are not worried about having enough toilet paper.
A friend saw this in her local Safeway store, a cake that looks like a roll of toilet paper.
And my cousin's son is missing the start of his baseball season.
Photo credit: Deniele Van Leeuwen
This is my new reality. Although the truth is that I rarely make it til 9 p.m.
Last Friday night, Mark and I grabbed a piece of sidewalk chalk and headed over to Aaron and Christa's about 9:30 p.m. to leave a note for the grandkids. Then it rained overnight, and the message was gone by morning. But his Ring doorbell had captured us on video so he was able to show them a video of our visit. And fortunately I had taken a picture. :)
We stopped by Jason and Jill's too, to leave a note for Ruby and Amelia.
We see family about every other day. We feel so fortunate that we get to see them in person. Even with a 12-foot distance. See that arrow? That is the barrier.
Charlotte giving us a virtual hug
Right now, this in-person connection means the world to me.
Tomorrow is Levi's birthday. We didn't even try to surprise him this year. We just told him to choose something from Amazon and we would have it delivered to his door. A celebration will come later. I'm so looking forward to that day!

Sunday our church service was livestreamed and we watched it on the computer in my office.
One good thing that came out of it was that I finally got to do what I dream of--doing handwork during the sermon, with a cup of coffee nearby.
Unwashed hair, nighttime pajamas, and slippers...don't judge
Yesterday, Mark and I ventured to Target at 8 a.m. for "senior hour."
 Never in my life did I think I would feel anxious about going to Target. It was a weird feeling. We quickly made our purchases, and were able to get nearly everything on the list, and headed home, where it felt more "safe."

I also have mixed feelings about going through the drivethrough, although we have done that a couple of times. But each time I wonder about who has touched my food, my food wrapping and containers. It's a disconcerting feeling.

One of our favorite restaurants had this to offer, and we will pick it up tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m.
A good thing is that Mark enjoys cooking. And we are enjoying preparing meals together.

On an unrelated bright note, look who started following me on Instagram.  Not.  #spam

I was supposed to be at a quilting retreat in Texas this week. Canceled. And Mark and I were looking forward to a Canadian Rockies trip in mid June through Road Scholar. Neither of us feel comfortable at the thought of traveling in a plane, train and boat, so we are canceling. Maybe next year. This is what travel looks like to us these days.
And with my lack of concentration and focus, I have actually gotten less accomplished with the shelter-in-place order, with nowhere to go, than I did in a "normal" week before this all began. Maybe this is true.


In contrast, these are some wise words during these times.
Mark was able to finish a big project this week. That big storage unit picture I posted last week--this week it is done! And looks terrific.

This one made me chuckle.
For a confirmed homebody, I have been surprised at how unsettling these days are for me. While I normally savor days at home, now that it is mandatory I have a hard time not wanting to be somewhere else.
So we take daily walks to get fresh air, and appreciate the beauty that is around us this time of the year in the central valley, beginning with our own backyard.




I hope each day gets easier. I hope we pay attention to all the shelter-at-home orders in order to flatten the curve as soon as possible. I don't think life will ever be quite the same. But yet, I'm hopeful that better days are soon ahead of us. In the meantime...

9 comments:

05 08
Charlotte M. said... #

Thank you for the wonderful post Cindy. You captured many of the things I am feeling right now. My sister and I went to the Costco Seniors hour on Tuesday. We really needed a bunch of stuff. We were finally able to get toilet paper for the first time in 3 weeks. Ha! We wore masks, kept our distance and washed our hands as soon as we got home, but the whole thing made me anxious and exhausted. I have many projects started, and flit from thing to thing. Yesterday was the first day I felt like I really connected with a project for most of the day. We had a freaky hail storm here in San Diego last night. That gave us some excitement. Keep safe and we shall make it through this.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Thanks for brightening my day even if it's Friday. Wait . . . what day is it? I know the feeling well. I feel for the moms who now find themselves at home with full time work, full time child care and full time homeschooling. At least Justin and I are used to being home now that we're retired. But it still feels very very different. I go back and forth between getting lots done and then nothing. We don't really have more time . . . it's just a different kind of time. Love the wise words about time. We made a grocery run for the first time in 2 weeks during 'senior' hours today and I came home wanting to shower and wash my clothes! Colorado is under shelter in place now so I'm feeling cabin fever setting in even though we walk everyday for fresh air. Just wish spring would truly arrive. It comes and goes at this time of year here. Stay safe and healthy.

French 75 said... #

I enjoyed reading your insights and share many of them. I cannot seem to get focused and accomplish much. Although I'm used to being home after the last months of medical issues, I am not enjoying the trapped feeling. We will get through this. I hope it is sooner than later. Certainly, the unknown future doesn't help boost our optimism.

Cathy O said... #

Enjoyed every word. Thanks for your honesty

lkhomework said... #

Thank you for this bit of connection It makes me feel more grounded to know we’re all sharing in trying our best to care for one another.

Susan said... #

So much to love about this post Cindy. There are so many I relate to- the virtual hugs, the chance to slowdown but the uncertainty about the outcomes. I agree with Anne, it is a different kind of time, isn’t it? Thank goodness for outside exercise, but I dread winter arriving...Stay well!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said... #

A great post that captures all the feelings that run around the wheel in my head. The anxiety when I went to Costco...especially when someone I knew approached and wanted a hug! Stay safe.

Robby said... #

Now that my Really Random Thursday is a Tuesday...

I think that fact that "everything has changed" when so much feels the same is one of the more disorienting aspects of this. So far, our two weeks at home has gone fairly uneventfully. I feel like I cook all the time, but it's honestly only one extra meal a week for "date night" which has become "pizza night". Our weather hasn't been quite nice enough to be outside regularly so we're trying to get those walks in on the days it is nice enough. For now, the weekly grocery list needs to come together.

OPQuilt said... #

I love how you are capturing the tenor and feeling of these days of living through our COVID-19 shut-downs. So many lovely observations about this time, from the anxiety to appreciating nature a little more.