Big World, Small Town
I have now been working from home for eight solid weeks. When I was told on March 16th, that I would be working from home, never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would still be working from home when May 16th came along.
But here I am.
I’m sure there are a lot of people in the same boat as I am, and in boats that make my boat look like a yacht. As hard as this transition has been, I know that I am very fortunate to have a job that can be done remotely. I know many others who have been furloughed or laid off due to the pandemic who have all the same transitional struggles that I do but have financial struggles to boot.
Many of us have been experiencing new kinds of emotional ups and downs that this pandemic has inflicted on us. We humans function best when we have regular, stable routines to help guide our lives, but this pandemic has taken most of those routines away. It’s forced us to radically restructure our lives practically overnight. It makes sense that many of us would have a hard time with that.
While this pandemic has taken much from us, it has also offered opportunities. Henry David Thoreau famously said that he wanted to “live deep and suck the marrow out of life.” But is that even possible during a quarantine?
I think it is.
Here are a few ways you can live your best life even while on lockdown.
Make Meetings Fun: One of the benefits of attending virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom or Skype is that you get a glimpse into the lives of your co-workers that you might never have gotten otherwise. You get to see how your co-workers live and usually get to see at least a part of their house. I run a meeting of about 15 people and recently added a “Pet of the Meeting” item to the agenda. Each time we meet, I select one person to introduce their pet to the group. People love doing it and it’s something that could never happen if we were all still in the office.
Virtual Tavern: One of the things I’ve missed most over the last two months is not being able to go out and have a beer with friends. But who says you can’t organize a Zoom or Skype call and have a beer or two with your friends from the comfort of your own couch? An added bonus of a virtual tavern as opposed to the traditional one is that when you drink at home, there is zero risk of drinking and driving.
Exploring New Media: Many of us are finding that we suddenly have a lot more free time than we used to. Why not use that time to read a book or short story that you’ve been meaning to read, or watch that TV series that you just never found the time for? Better yet, include a friend in your new media adventure. Netflix recently added a feature called Netflix Party that allows you to watch a show at the same time as friends and chat as you watch together. Better yet, maybe you’ll decide that now is the perfect time to subscribe to Watershed Voice. This subscription supports local journalism and also opens up a world of content you can enjoy all year long.
Movie Reprise Marathons: The COVID-19 quarantine is a great opportunity to go back and re-watch movies that you’ve enjoyed in the past but haven’t seen for a long time. There’s something inherently calming about re-watching a movie where you already know what’s going to happen, and couldn’t we all use a little of that right now? I recently started watching the Star Wars movies again beginning with The Phantom Menace, and guess what? Episode I was not nearly as bad as I remember it being! Don’t come at me, but I even found Jar Jar Binks to be fairly amusing this time around.
Social Distanced Walks: While it’s probably not a good idea to engage in strenuous exercise near other people right now, there is very little risk to walking outside with a friend as long as you maintain six feet of distance. Even six feet away and wearing a mask, you can still hold a conversation with a friend and get some light cardio in, too. Who knows, maybe this lockdown will inspire you to start a new exercise program?
Celebrate Life: There’s still a lot to celebrate even during times like this and gratitude is an underappreciated anti-depressant. As I was writing this column, a friend posted on Instagram that her “ultimate dream of having a dog has finally come true!!” As you can see from the photo that accompanies this article, Brittany had to wear a mask to pick her puppy up at the rescue, but it doesn’t look like Frida minds at all. Like most of is, Frida is probably just happy to have a safe home to call her own and someone to love her.
As we wait out this crisis, let’s not forget that moments of crisis are very often moments of opportunity as well. As the poet Mary Oliver once asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Charles D. Thomas is a writer and psychotherapist who made Three Rivers his home for over a decade. Feedback is welcome at [email protected].
Any views or opinions expressed in “Big World, Small Town” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.
