At any point did you run out of new things to do while sheltered-in-place? It’s worth trying what Lauren Rombach tried from her home in Littleton, Colorado: walk the dog. Then walk the dog again.
Who can remember the classic childhood rhyme to help you remember the days in the months?
Thirty days hath September
April, June, and November…
Except March which had 3,100!!!
Yeah, during this quarantine time there are no restaurants to visit (except takeout), no sports, no gyms, no regular routines, working at home, and visiting the refrigerator every five minutes. My mask is on not only for protection from the virus, but protection from myself so I don’t come out of this weighing a ton. Is it really April?
Lauren at home in Colorado.
Reality really set in this week. After more than a month now of stay-at-home orders, I’m realizing how hard it is to end phone calls. I can’t say I’ve got to run because I have nowhere to go. I’ve just got to try to get dressed into something that resembles clothes so I can walk the dog for the 10th time in a day. When was the last time I washed my hair? Will someone please tell me what day of the week it is?!?
Earlier this week, my husband and I woke up panicked in a cold sweat. How many rolls of toilet paper do we have? Who knew that during a respiratory pandemic, people would be hoarding toilet paper? If we had a pandemic that caused relentless diarrhea, would we be out of nasal spray?
“We need a plan!” I said. My Mom had told me to get up early to get a curbside pickup time at Walmart. Surely, there would be some TP there. She had gotten her time at 1:00am! OMG!!! It’s 6:30am. I’m too late!!
I ran downstairs, got on the website, picked my pickup time, and couldn’t even get a four-pack of Scotts! My husband donned his mask and quickly ran out the door to brave the other grocery store during senior hours. It didn’t matter that he still had his pajama bottoms on. Who would recognize him? We both breathed a sigh of relief when he came home with a 12-pack. Score!
I’m also finding how much I took the gym for granted. Now with social distancing and nowhere to work out, many fitness instructors are live-streaming workouts. But getting into these is a struggle when the dog won’t give you personal space. Do you dream of the days you had free weights? Kettlebells? I do!
For light weights, I grab wine bottles (I’m quickly running out!) or simply grab my cans (kidney beans). They are quite handy for times like these. For medium weights, I grab my jugs (water), and for heavy weights I use backpacks filled with books. I noticed I’m pausing the video when I want a water break, which quickly turns into a long snack break. Maybe I could be quarantined at the gym?
For the most part, I’m taking this quarantine time in stride. While walking my dog for the millionth time on a path along a canal, I saw inspirational messages painted on stones that were left at the base of large trees. I assumed they were left by a child. The messages said, “We Are All in This Together,” and “Be Safe.”
Aphorisms like these have been recycled over the years, but I felt reassured that everything would be alright… at least until the next time I need toilet paper. Seriously, what day of the week is it?
Hey, I resemble this situation! Seriously, a good laugh, albeit a little too close to home… Thanks for sharing!