In my own life, it is now five months into the pandemic.  The time is demarcated by when I started working from home and essentially became a hermit.  I am fully aware that I have an enormous amount of privilege which has allowed me to work from home safely and although I have sacrificed some, my sacrifice pales in comparison to essential workers and families who have lost loved ones.

I have been hesitant to write about my own pandemic life because it is so privileged.  My husband is deemed essential and has continued to work throughout the pandemic.  That has been my main worry.  Otherwise, my biggest complaints have been the slow trickle of time and isolation.

My time in isolation has allowed me to pursue, explore, and learn (sometimes out of necessity).  Here are some of the things, both big and small, that I have discovered during the pandemic:

Grooming Bobbi

Back in March, I tried to schedule grooming with my mobile pet groomer, and then there was information that pets could contract COVID-19.  I made the decision to buy a pet grooming kit off Amazon and take matters into my own hands.  The first grooming was over three hours and we were both exhausted.  Our second session went fairly well and was under an hour.  I learned that in order for Bobbi to be cooperative, she needed to be on a table.  I now groom her outside on a folding table.  This is another way for us to bond and it also saves me around $500 per year.

Embroidery

Embroidery aka cross-stitch.  I have always been drawn to the fabric arts and I finally had the time to pursue that interest.  My mom did needlepoint and her finished canvases are some of my most cherished possessions.  Needlepoint is an expensive hobby, so I decided to try cross-stitch.  I found a beginner’s kit on Etsy and I love it.  I find the craft to be meditative.

Movement

Movement has always been important to me.  Pre-pandemic, I usually went to the gym or would go to parks.  I realized quickly that I would need to adjust to new forms of movement.  I canceled my gym membership and have been avoiding my typical haunts due to people not wearing masks within close proximity of each other.  After trying out a bunch of stuff on YouTube and OnDemand, I found two things that I love:

Yoga Vista: https://yogavista.tv/

Through my Xfinity OnDemand, I discovered a yoga teacher, Sherry Zak Morris, who teaches gentle and therapeutic yoga.  I googled her and discovered that she had an online subscription service which I could access through my Roku for 9.99 a month.  An in-person yoga class is usually $20 a visit.

The classes available vary from chair yoga to gentle, therapeutic, and somatic yoga.  I have been doing the gentle yoga for about three months and my body has never felt better.  I love her teaching style and I look forward to doing yoga almost every day.  The intense pain I had in my right shoulder is gone. My flexibility has increased.  Everything feels good.

Body Project: https://www.youtube.com/c/BodyProjectchallenge/about

If you like cheerful personal trainers with Australian accents, then this might be for you.  I enjoy these workouts because they are simple.  I am not a very coordinated person and I don’t like dance cardio.  I appreciate the straightforward approach and I also appreciate seeing real people doing at-home workouts.

Omelettes

Omelettes are my favorite breakfast and I have only been able to obtain them two ways: convincing Mark to take me to brunch and convincing Mark to make me an omelette.  Since my chances of obtaining an omelette were reduced by 50%, I knew that I had to increase my odds another way.

I have a decent set of kitchen skills, but the omelette always proved elusive.  It would inevitably end up as a scrambled egg situation.  After watching an instructional video from the American Egg Board, I practiced my technique and now I can make an omelette.

This is just a snippet of some of the things I have learned during the pandemic.  I am sure I will continue to learn and adapt, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this:

If you need a reason to vote, just remember the 170,000 Americans that have lost their lives.  At this point, each death is a reflection of the gross mismanagement of the Trump administration combined with the dangerous idea of individualism which permeates our American landscape.  Please wear a mask.  Please keep your distance.  Please vote.