Pandemic Thoughts

Pandemic Thoughts

This time is very stressful,

This time is really strange,

Mixed messages come constantly,

Some people act deranged.

We can’t get paper products,

Chicken and flour’s been scarce too,

We cannot hug each other,

Oh what are we to do?

We can do Mad Libs on Facetime,

Wave to neighbors as we walk,

Play and sing music for each other,

Write or call someone to talk.

We’re all still washing hands well,

We’re staying at our homes,

Until the day, when once again,

We’ll be free to hug and roam.

--------------------------------------------

Easter In Pandemic

Although we’re distant physically,

In spirit we can be together,

We send our hugs out virtually,

Wishing in person we could gather.

This Easter Sunday is not the same,

As the ones that we all remember,

The message of Easter does remain,

As in unison we sing Hallelujah!

----------------------------------------------------

Pandemic Things

Wear your face mask,

Wash your hands,

These are rules,

In the lands,

Some won’t do it,

Though most will,

Just keep in mind,

This virus kills.

-----------------------------------------

Distancing Haiku

Stay six feet away

You better put on that mask

Wash your hands again

Confused

I’m not sure what day it is,

Nor what I should do next,

Go outside, or read, or clean?

This isolation has me vexed,

Keeping safe tops the list,

Of important things to do,

So from a distance I will say,

Hello! From me to you.

               So here we are, in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and I’m finding it hard to get motivated to make good use of all this time at home.  It’s so easy to slip into the habit of getting up and moving to the couch to drink coffee, nap, play games on my phone or tablet and click the tv remote around to see what’s on while scrolling through Facebook and Instagram.  That routine, however, leads to a general lethargy, crankiness, and just over all feeling of “meh”, at least for me.  Then depression starts to rear its ugly head and there’s not really anyone to distract from it.  Even if you’re quarantined with your family, by now, about 6 weeks into this, you’re probably getting on each other’s nerves.  What can we do about that?  Well, what I have done is text with some friends and family, call some, and either Facetime or have a Zoom meeting with friends and family.  I’m so used to talking to many people in the course of a normal day, that I find I miss that the most about being out of work for an open ended period of time.  Also, I have nothing, really, to offer my family in terms of conversation without much contact with those outside of my house.  I know I need, also, the outlet of being annoyed with those I don’t live with so that my frustration has someplace to be let out besides impatience with my housemates.   Another thing I’m doing is try to keep moving at least as much every day as I would if I were working by keeping track of my daily steps with an app that came with my iPhone.  I keep it in my pocket and every step counts, so even just housework counts and I try to walk, even if it’s just doing laps in my driveway.  I feel better if I can get outside for at least a few minutes every day, and sometimes I just take a drive to get a change of scenery and listen to music.  I’ve also realized that turning off the news is very important for me.  If I happen to have time alone I’ll watch reruns of crime shows, comedies, cooking shows, or whatever I feel like.  As a family, we frequently listen to one of the music channels, and of course when Hillary is up we’re generally watching SpongeBob which is her favorite show.  Whatever it takes!   Reading is also a way I found to keep myself from worrying about what is happening and how it will affect us in the long term.  The last day that I worked I did two things before I went home—stopped at the library and took out a big stack of books, and went to the store for toilet paper because I had put the last roll at home in the bathroom that morning.  It’s a good thing I did that, because 3 days later they closed the library until further notice, and toilet paper became scarce in the stores.  Grocery shopping has become a scavenger hunt, and I try to go only every 2 weeks.  There are still many empty shelves, but it seems like it’s getting a little better at least as far as paper goods go.  These are weird times we’re living right now.  Hopefully things will get better sooner rather than later.  In the meantime, stay safe, healthy, and wash your hands.