Realizations from Corona Land

Lots of my spring bulbs need replacing. And have, for the past three years. I need to set a calendar reminder for the fall. 

I like croutons. I thought I didn't. I don’t know why this realization occurred in quarantine. Maybe because I made my own from leftover garlic bread?

Autocorrect is an idiot. My phone is failing so hard at this. 

I still prefer texting. I am still making and taking phone calls 100% more than I did before this but definitely not as many as the first week. 

Global pandemics do not affect my sleep. I have actually slept harder and better and woken up on time without an alarm this entire time. 

Pre-pandemic was a bad time to order a bunch of possible things for my own birthday gifts and different spray paints for home improvement projects. Because most of them were meant to be returned. So now I have a zillion returns to remember to make when this is done. 

I could never be a chef. I like cooking and find cooking or baking soothing, but I do not like cooking twice a day every day. I prefer my batch cooking on Sundays but doing that right now feels not right either. 

Line dried clothes rock. My dryer hasn’t broken since 2018. At that time I was short on time so my mom did my laundry until the part came in. This time I have nothing but time so line dry it is. I like how they’re a little stiff and a lot fresh smelling.

Commuting is harder on my body than I thought. My shoulder no longer bunches because I’m not carrying my life on it back and forth every day. I thought it was a chronic condition related to the pinched nerve in my neck from years ago. Here it’s basically commuting. 

Constant human-ing is hard on pets. My dogs are exhausted.

My train pass expired. I pay for it pre-tax so I get the checks to do that through work. Where we haven't been for almost a month. 

Acupuncture and chiropractor are essential to me. Sure, I’ve said that, but being forced to go without has not been pleasant. I'm missing my monthly appointments big time.

I’m picky about where things come from. I prefer my fresh salmon and frozen berries from Aldi, my produce from Produce Junction or Lou's, my milk and half and half organic from Target's Good and Gather line. I didn't realize how much I darted around or split darting around with MFD until we locked it down and limited trips. Praise stores who have figured out curbside pickup in under three weeks.

My inspection expired at the end of March. When the state of PA is up and running again, I need to address that.

Turns out I do NOT have too much lounge attire. So there. 

Productivity is not my solution. I can’t organize myself out of feeling some sort of ways about a global pandemic. I need to accept my feelings, sit with them, and let them go much more frequently than I would normally. I’m still doing but it’s not even close to my primary goal here and it’s not close to the top of the list. This was a hard realization for me since I am aimed toward productivity all the time but this is requiring me to slow way down and I’m listening. 

I know a lot of subject matter experts in the areas of infectious disease and contagion. And they all practice on the Internet, sharing their “knowledge” for freeeeeee

My mood is dependent on the sun and fresh air. Gray days are interminable.

I don’t spend as much time outside as I should in Philly. We are out at the shore all of the time. I can count on one hand the amount of times I sat out back here for more than five minutes last year. That is mostly because I’ve been acting like a guest here, because...

I’m living in the wrong place. I’m missing one of my favorite times at the shore - when the temps are in the high 40s and low 50s day and night, the beaches empty so my dogs can run free, sand pocked with huge intact whelk shells and glittering sea glass, town almost ghostly at night with lack of cars, lights, and people. It comes alive this weekend for Easter, which we usually spend there with my Mom and Rich and my brother and Kate and Dan and the kids and Debbie. I say I should be living there all the time, but this being quarantined at home situation really brought it home. Quarantine has not fixed actual physical limitations of that house that prohibit an immediate move not has it changed MFD’s mind about one. I can't think about it too much, because it gives me a physical pain like when you are away from home and really want to be there. 

What are some of your quarantine realizations?