I can't decide if this is tacky or not (the silver lining remix)

[lunabee34]

I am hoping to take this time of quarantine/social distancing to make changes in my life and reinforce changes I'd already made.

I have been outside more in the last week than I have since last summer. I am really enjoying reconnecting to nature. When Fiona and I go on our nature walks, I'm being really intentional about observing the world around us, and I think it's helping me to be calm and not so anxious.

I am feeling closer (but not too close yet LOL though I'm sure that's coming) to my family and enjoying the opportunity to talk to them all more.

I am reading and writing more.

I am enjoying the challenge of figuring out how to do things in our learning management system that I didn't know how to do before and that I will be able to carry over into my teaching in the future. I am enjoying helping Josh figure out how to get his classes online and being a contact for colleagues who haven't taught online before to help them make the transition.

I am enjoying keeping my house cleaner and neater than I usually do when we are all at work and school for such a long portion of the day.

I am also feeling physically better for being at home. My fatigue has been noticeably less in this week at home than when I'm working (although the pain I've been experiencing is about the same).

I feel really anxious right now, especially due to the ambiguous nature of this situation and not knowing when or how things will progress or change, and focusing on these positives is helping me to get through. I know that my ability to do so is a reflection of my privilege; my husband and I are not losing any income during this crisis, for example, and it's so much easier to be positive in our situation.

Comments

[misbegotten]

♥

I'm not losing a horrendous amount of income with the (possibly permanent, but who knows) furlough because I don't honestly work that many hours, but I find myself dismayed to be jobless. I didn't think my identity was wrapped up in my job, but it gave me a foothold in being a contributing member of society. And now that our sick, 'needing food and medicine several times a day' cat has died, even more of my reasons for staying at home are chipped away. So I'm unsettled. I'll figure out a new routine, but golly there have been a lot of blows to my psyche this week.

(Sorry, this probably should have gone in my journal. I'm really glad you're finding good things in these changes!)

[lyr]

I'm glad you're finding some positives. I would like to be, but I am still too unsettled. I hope to get more writing done if I can quiet down, though.

[chelseagirl]

I'm envious of the nature walks. All of the large city parks are a subway ride away, and also I'm told everyone is going there, so makes social distancing tricky.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It's wonderful that you can be positive. I'm not there yet at all.

[amejisuto]

I think it's human nature to look for the good in bad situations. If not we go bonkers. Or at least more bonkers than we usually are. So it's okay that you're finding some solace in your family togetherness. You're lucky to have that. Good for you!

[jackandahat]

There's nothing wrong with grabbing onto the positives! There's no sense in making things worse than they have to be, you know?

[princessofgeeks]

I think it's great to be noticing ways to feel grateful and grounded.

I have a house with a yard and being able to get started on the yard work has been great for me.

I am so extremely worried about the laid off service workers who are suffering already. It's just so huge.

Also worried about my son who is an apprentice electrician. If his work dries up he will need our help to buy groceries! Am trying not to borrow trouble. Yet.

Getting outdoors is the main thing that's helping me.

[spikedluv]

Go you, for being positive! I was doing the same thing today! Mostly because my mom is freaking out about the new executive order going to effect here in NY on Sunday: no one over 70 can leave their homes except to get some SOLITARY exercise outside. She's a homebody, but a) being told she HAS to stay home makes her not want to, lol and b) it's such a horrible time because my b-i-l is sick and my mom would like to be able to help my sister, my nieces and nephew are out of school and mom usually babysits but can't now, and her BF's husband has newly-diagnosed cancer and she can't be helping her out. This situation is sucktastic for so many reasons.

My silver lining was that I could clean the house if I wasn't running around, and I might even get my Christmas decorations put away finally! (I've been so busy with my aunt's crap, but we're almost done with cleaning the apartment - we're finishing up this weekend out of necessity because mom's been helping me.) Also, I'll be home, so more walks! *g*

[kore]

I've been really struck by the number of people I know who are saying that commuting less/not at all and not spending all day at the office is really cutting down on their fatigue. Some peoples' kids are also doing better out of school.

There was also an article in the NYT I think about how public schools are essentially being used as support for poor families (warmth, lunch, social programs) and daycare for working families, and that's really being exposed now that schools are being shut down. It makes me wonder if at the end of this, there will be more support for daycares attached to workplaces and Great Society type programs. I mean all of a sudden there's more support for things like the CDC! And it turns out that the FDA actually does things, it's a bad idea to "drain the swamp" by threatening to move all the employees to Kansas! There's no real way to BOOTSTRAP during a pandemic.

[sholio]

I'm in a similar position - Orion and I are not suffering negative effects to our income, and we're mainly just getting more at-home time to spend on the activities we enjoy. (Aside from the obvious anxiety issues.)

But I am trying not to feel guilty about our lives being better than most right now, because it means that we're in a good position both financially and emotionally to help people who need it, and also to better weather whatever blows we and our families are dealt over the next few months (health, financial, etc). I think in general, as long as none of us use it as an excuse to sever our responsibilities as members of a society, that having a cushion of people who are doing well is a very necessary thing - it wouldn't improve things at all if we were ALL poor, and having some of us who are doing pretty well is going to help with getting things back to normal afterwards, and helping our families and communities in the meantime.

And personally, I would really like to come out of this with some healthy, useful habits and good memories, if I can. There's nothing wrong with making your life and your family's lives better as long as you're not stepping on other people to do it.

[timespirt]

"HUGS"

[china_shop]

♥

[duskpeterson]

Definitely not tacky. My life hasn't changed much (I work from home and don't get out much), but man, has the rest of the world made life easier for me. I used to have to *beg* for organizations to let me communicate with them online. (I have a condition that makes it hard for me to understand people on the phone, and at certain times of the year it's hard for me to travel.) Now organizations are throwing forth online solutions, left and right.