PANDEMIC DAYS: LET’S SHARE
From Fran Feldman: “I do think about writing at this particular time, and your line about managing this pandemic struck a chord.” She went on to offer a fine suggestion for us.
“I wonder if it wouldn’t be valuable to pose one question we could answer in a short paragraph; then we could publish them in the blog. Something like:
1. What has the pandemic taught you about yourself that you didn’t already know?
2. What new ways to manage stress have you devised over the past many months?
3. What’s been positive about the social isolation and change of routine you’ve had to adapt to during the pandemic?”
I think Fran has provided us with a great idea, so I have included all three of her prompts here in an effort to jog your thinking. (You need not, of course, respond to all of them!)
Send me a paragraph (or so) about what you’ve learned during this strange time in our lives. Don’t worry about writing a “formal” item as this isn’t really about writing. It’s about sharing with our fellow BOLLI members/friends. I will compile responses and publish them together. (Send to susanlwurster@gmail.com)
Thank you, Fran–and BOLLI!
“What’s been positive about the social isolation and change of routine …?”
1. We’ve lived at our townhome for almost 10 years and, until now, hadn’t made much of a dent in unpacking and organizing. But with the extra time I have had, I have gone through about 20 boxes of books, put many years’ worth of loose pictures in photo albums, compiled four family trees (one for each of my grandparents), and conducted two Zoom family reunions.
2. Before we started using Zoom in BOLLI, I had never done any kind of video contact. But now, we have weekly sessions with our son, daughter-in-law and “grand-dog,” and biweekly chats with my siblings, mother, and step-father. In addition, I’ve got back in touch with former work-mates and two of my best friends from high school. We’ve learned from this time that we need socialization, however we can get it.
What’s different and even better:
In so many ways, the pandemic has made my life much simpler—not less busy, just much less hectic. Now when I drive somewhere, whether it’s to the grocery store or the library, I find myself a more relaxed and slow driver. I don’t have to rush from one place to another. Yes, I may have to get home for a Zoom meeting or class, but in general, I have more time that isn’t highly structured, and that feels wonderful. Weekends are particularly relaxed, with no decisions about where to eat before the theater, whom to invite to our home for dinner, or what movie to see with whom.
Interestingly, the telephone has become my lifeline. It meets my need to socialize and communicate, and it puts me in touch with friends and family I rarely communicated with before. Picking up the phone and catching up with people brings me joy! And I have the feeling that it makes them happy, too.
Alas, my thumb has never been green…the seedlings I have put in soil and watered have never taken root. The plants I have sworn to keep alive have never survived me. Until now. I’d managed to keep a jade plant in my room alive since April and was thrilled–but terrified. It was clear that it needed more room in which to grow, and nobody I trusted to be in my home seemed to have the “repotting” gene. So, finally, I went to Google and boned up on how to go about it. Went to Amazon and ordered the necessary “stuff.” And took up the challenge… so far, it seems to have been surviving. This morning, it actually looks like it’s thriving! I’ve learned that you can learn a lot from a plant…