As a retiree and semi-recluse, the “stay at home” mandate has not been much of a problem. I don’t even have to create excuses anymore. Years ago, I might have said, “I have to wash my hair.” Now I would probably say, “I have to cut my hair.” Not so different after all.
While the weight of the pandemic hits me at odd moments and leaves me feeling sad and angry, most of the time I’m pretty chill. I don’t have a big agenda and don’t monitor my productivity. Aside from chores, I pretty much focus on the simple pleasures that make me happy … reading, walking, cooking, movies and TV.
I’ve started to play a little golf and have fielded a few invitations. This was my response to the latest:
I’m erring on the side of caution and only playing on courses I know reasonably well, where I can walk and where they have documented procedures for reduced touch points, increased social distancing, modified rules, etc. Since I haven’t played that course before, I’ll have to pass this time around. But thanks for thinking of me! I’m open to other courses.
I’ve got my cannabis plant to nurse along, and I have been doing some light handheld weights since the gym closed, but it’s not like I’m not learning to speak Swahili or alphabetizing the appliance manuals. Most of our groceries we order online for curbside pick-up, but we have started to go into the store about every two weeks. We wear masks and try to get in and out of there quickly without any close encounters of the worst kind.
In some ways I feel more peaceful, living day-to-day and trying not to think about the future. Honestly, our highest priority is food and booze, so we do have to plan ahead, but I’ve actually become fond of online shopping. We eat just about everything … nothing diet, not too much and we make almost everything from scratch.
I read where the NY Times health columnist Jane Brody treats herself to ¼ cup of light ice cream, and possibly a graham cracker, and I just can’t get that out of my head. How miserable is that?
People are itchy to go back to normal. I will go out on a limb and suggest some people have different ideas about how this virus behaves, they don’t believe it’s as bad as all that or they are willing to take their chances. Others absolutely need to get back out there and earn a living.
Even as economies open, Dale and I have decided we’re not going to be the guinea pigs. Being retired is a privilege, an earned privilege for sure, but we have the ability to stay home and will continue to do our best to ride this out in safety.
I’m with you. You can call it Stockholm Syndrome if you want, but I’m in no hurry to get out and mingle. Nothing about the virus has changed, only that we have reduced interactions. I don’t get how people just think time is up and its time to head to the bars and beaches.
As for ice cream, I have reserved a good percentage of my freezer for its residence. Quarter cup, my ass.
Exactly what you said — nothing about the virus has changed, only that we have reduced interactions. I don’t eat ice cream much, but I make up for it with other stuff. Still, quarter cup my ass.
I agree with your comment about retirement being an earned privilege. I also intend to continue to stay at home even though my county is loosening the restrictions a bit next week. I will think about it when the number of cases locally meet the CDC guidelines for opening things up, but we are not there yet. I’m sad and wish I could see my sisters, but I am never bored and have been having fun getting back into baking after a bit of a lapse. And making sure I never run low on ice cream!
Yeah, it’s not all bad. As for ice cream, I love it but ate my lifetime quota when I worked at an ice cream store in the early 70s. But I don’t know. It’s starting to sound good again …
Our harbor finally opened a small stretch of street for parking, and I was able to go paddleboarding for the first time in months. I was so happy to be back out on the water I was almost delirious, not to mention it has built in social distancing(!).
As an extrovert I will admit I am struggling to not go to fast now that places are inching toward reopening. It’s so damn tempting even as I get 100% that nothing pertaining to the virus has changed. It helps to dull my extrovert tendencies if I expend lots of energy outdoors doing something active. So, that will continue to be a daily priority for sure.
I know it must be harder for extroverts, but congratulations on having the self-discipline to manage your life safely. Paddleboarding looks so hard to me. I’m happy you are back at it!
Being a home body has a huge pay off right now. The soft opening will not change my life. I could get my hair cut but it’s not high on my priority list. All the usual summer activities have been cancelled and social distancing is still in place. Summer meant the best chocolate milk shake at the burger bar each time I went to town. I think I’ll make one myself. I finished the remaining Halloween candy and Christmas chocolates the end of April. Yeah, it’s time for that home made milk shake.
A sad day when the Halloween candy and the Christmas chocolates are gone. But the milkshake sounds delicious. When I worked in the ice cream store, I made a lot of malted milkshakes for myself.
I am struggling. And I feel bad about myself for doing so.. I am not an extrovert but I had a small amount of social activities and volunteering I did on a weekly basis and evidently it made me sane. LOL. The problem I have, is none of the activities is very “important”— card games for god’s sakes! Thrift store rummaging. Library dates. But in retirement, those small activities stitch together to weave my happy days and I miss them.When I worked as a Nurse, my days were long and I also managed my husband’s office,too, I did not make the time I should have for friendships, and in retirement, that is one of the FIRST THINGS I changed..and now,I value and miss my women friendships more than I dreamed I would.. all of us are 60+ and none of us is anxious to resume “in contact” events yet. I have a weekly ZOOM meeting with my art group== we get ourselves on zoom,bring a cup of coffee,chat and do crafts at our own tables, at home, and hold up our projects to share, once in a while.It’s better than nothing! I am very sad about the various trips we had to cancel, we had quite a nice 2020 planned./ (As did many retirees..) This week I am trying to focus on gratitude and just be chill with being at home some more, as we also are not willing to be the Guinea pigs for this social experiment going on in Arizona of “opening up the economy.” I appreciate all my blogger friends more than ever,too!! Thanks for sharing..
Sometimes I wish I had a social life like that, but I guess not having it worked out for me this time around. I hope you get at least some of it back very soon.
I’m with you. It’s been nice having an open calendar. I had a chiropractor appointment yesterday and it almost felt like an inconvenience!! I may have a tougher time readjusting to “normal” than I did to this. Kind of sad? I’m grateful to be retired right now. It makes so many things easier.