P.S. Wash your hands.
It's day 15. Since I stopped going to work, since the new normal has been the walls around my house, since we ate out, since 80% of Boston offices mandated work from home for all their employees, since we only step out for grocery shopping, and medicines.
This is the new normal. It feels like an alternate reality, an episode of black mirror that no one asked to be a part of. Most days it feels okay, but some days come with anxiety and hopelessness. This is the new normal, at least for a while.
As someone who prides herself in being up to date with the news, I now only consume the news that I accidentally come across. I am trying my best, for the sake of my sanity to not read anything about the virus, or how many people are dying from it, or how fast its spreading, if I can help it. I instantly glaze over the constant bombardment of articles, reports, forwards and home remedies on whatsapp.
After the initial toilet paper frenzy, the next thing that is disappearing from the shelves in stores is yeast, so I guess everyone had the same idea during a global crisis - make bread.
In the last 15 days, I have used cooking as my escape, I have brewed kombucha, working on some beer right now, made extravagant regional dishes that I don't usually have the time to make, and baked breads of course. I now have tea 3 or 4 times a day, I try to work out more often that I normally do only because there is this sense of you never know when it will be safe to go back out again. I have picked up long overdue house projects, framing pictures, growing new plants, and actually spring cleaning the heck out of my closet.
In the last 15 days, I have contemplated starting a podcast, starting a book, or creating some kind of content that I can use to document what this crazy unique time in history will look like 50 years from now.
A fun little observation is that, although most of my friends have always lived in 23 different countries, we now have more video calls than ever before. My cousins who have always lived in different cities and countries are also more in touch than ever before. Before this virus spread, our only means of communication was the phone and the various video calling services, but suddenly we use them so much more and very regularly. Of course, now I also have to meet my local friends via video calling which is unfortunate.
I personally feel like in a month, things will die down and offices will start to reopen, my optimist spirit thinks that by then we will have treatment, a slow down or a miraculous disappearance. But this is what I tell myself, it maybe because I'm not reading the news as much. When I did have a meltdown a couple of nights ago, it was not about the the fact that we will all die, but how terrible it would be if only some of us die. The emotion toll for those left behind who have to deal with the loss will be so heavy to bear. It reminds me of the beginning of the endgame, maybe in an parallel universe, Thanos did snap.
Another thing that gives me hope, is that maybe this is what the earth needed. Maybe the economic slow down, will help in slowing down global warming. Maybe the fact that no one is on the roads will reduce pollution. I heard a bird sing so loudly the other day, I thought it was a cell phone notification. Maybe we are the virus of the planet and covid-19 is the vaccine. Maybe this is a turn it off - wait 10 minutes - turn it on again reset button the earth has given us.
So while I am not any closer to deciding what I will do in with all my time at home, I will hopefully update on this in a few weeks if I am still home. If I don't, maybe that means we are back to our old normal lives. Do you think once we go back to the normal, we will continue doing some of the things we are doing now, will we still call our friends as much as we do now, will be cook more, will we slow down or pick it right back up?
This is the new normal. It feels like an alternate reality, an episode of black mirror that no one asked to be a part of. Most days it feels okay, but some days come with anxiety and hopelessness. This is the new normal, at least for a while.
As someone who prides herself in being up to date with the news, I now only consume the news that I accidentally come across. I am trying my best, for the sake of my sanity to not read anything about the virus, or how many people are dying from it, or how fast its spreading, if I can help it. I instantly glaze over the constant bombardment of articles, reports, forwards and home remedies on whatsapp.
After the initial toilet paper frenzy, the next thing that is disappearing from the shelves in stores is yeast, so I guess everyone had the same idea during a global crisis - make bread.
In the last 15 days, I have used cooking as my escape, I have brewed kombucha, working on some beer right now, made extravagant regional dishes that I don't usually have the time to make, and baked breads of course. I now have tea 3 or 4 times a day, I try to work out more often that I normally do only because there is this sense of you never know when it will be safe to go back out again. I have picked up long overdue house projects, framing pictures, growing new plants, and actually spring cleaning the heck out of my closet.
In the last 15 days, I have contemplated starting a podcast, starting a book, or creating some kind of content that I can use to document what this crazy unique time in history will look like 50 years from now.
A fun little observation is that, although most of my friends have always lived in 23 different countries, we now have more video calls than ever before. My cousins who have always lived in different cities and countries are also more in touch than ever before. Before this virus spread, our only means of communication was the phone and the various video calling services, but suddenly we use them so much more and very regularly. Of course, now I also have to meet my local friends via video calling which is unfortunate.
I personally feel like in a month, things will die down and offices will start to reopen, my optimist spirit thinks that by then we will have treatment, a slow down or a miraculous disappearance. But this is what I tell myself, it maybe because I'm not reading the news as much. When I did have a meltdown a couple of nights ago, it was not about the the fact that we will all die, but how terrible it would be if only some of us die. The emotion toll for those left behind who have to deal with the loss will be so heavy to bear. It reminds me of the beginning of the endgame, maybe in an parallel universe, Thanos did snap.
Another thing that gives me hope, is that maybe this is what the earth needed. Maybe the economic slow down, will help in slowing down global warming. Maybe the fact that no one is on the roads will reduce pollution. I heard a bird sing so loudly the other day, I thought it was a cell phone notification. Maybe we are the virus of the planet and covid-19 is the vaccine. Maybe this is a turn it off - wait 10 minutes - turn it on again reset button the earth has given us.
So while I am not any closer to deciding what I will do in with all my time at home, I will hopefully update on this in a few weeks if I am still home. If I don't, maybe that means we are back to our old normal lives. Do you think once we go back to the normal, we will continue doing some of the things we are doing now, will we still call our friends as much as we do now, will be cook more, will we slow down or pick it right back up?
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