The world is a crazy place in this era of the pandemic. “Social distancing” remains the phrase of the day, in many places accompanied by “shelter in place” or a variation thereof.
Since Saturday, March 14, I have taken a few walks in our neighborhood, but otherwise I have barely left the house. On my one trip to the grocery store, many of the shelves were bare, though I was able to buy enough perishables for a week, and we have enough non-perishables for a couple of weeks.
Despite shortages and isolation, some things are going well, and I wanted to highlight those in this post.
1. My husband’s health is stable. Being home allows him to take his medications on a regular schedule, and I am able to nag him when he doesn’t.
2. Our kids call us more frequently. Maybe they care about their parents, or maybe they’re just bored. It doesn’t matter—I enjoy talking to them. They are active, even if they are mostly stuck at home. They both have dogs, which helps them keep to a routine. Pets are curiously unaffected by any fear of COVID-19.
3. Spring marches forth inevitably. One cruel twist is that as the world around us greens, we are stuck at home. And yet, I have the great fortune of being able to walk in nature whenever the variable weather permits.
4. As a writer, I can still write. I’m used to working from home, so my work life has not changed. In fact, with the cancellation of all my meetings, I have more time to write. March started off slowly for me, but since the “social distancing” advice took hold, I am back on pace for writing my new novel. The news distracts me more than it should, but I have been cranking out 1000+ words/day most days. I am now in Act 3 of the novel.
5. My book sales are up. All of my ebooks have been selling better for the past couple of months, so it isn’t just the Missouri Indie Author Project award for Lead Me Home. I don’t know why they’re selling better, but I’ll take the sales.
6. I started playing the piano at the right time. My instructor helped me through the first movement of “Moonlight Sonata.” At our last lesson on March 10, we worked through the final bit of it. Even though my lessons have been cancelled (until the School of Music can figure out online lessons), I can now practice this piece and others on my own. I am glad for the distraction.
7. Social media brings good news as well as bad. From cello recordings by Yo Yo Ma to singing from balconies in Italy to authors of children’s books reading their books aloud, there are people reaching out to connect and to bring joy into the world. We need more joy, but there is joy to be found.
I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and have found some joy in your life recently. What is going well for you these days?
