As I sit here looking towards another weekend under lock down, I once again have that weird feeling so many others have right now. That is, Saturday and Sunday feel like any other day to me now. There's nothing special about them, and I don't look forward to them any longer. This is mainly because we are pretty much contained to our home, and none of us can venture out for fear of exposing an at risk family member in the household.It got me thinking of how much my life has changed during all of this, and how much I miss certain things. Therefore, I decided to make a list of the top three things I miss and don't miss about being under a lockdown..
Top 3 things I miss since lockdown began
Laughing
While my bride and family indeed make me laugh, I'm not laughing as much lately. Sure I get some giggles from memes and such on the internet, but then I see news that undoes all of that and really puts me in a bad place. It's the main reason I've cut down watching the news on TV by about 90% as of late. Not going to work has been a huge factor in this as well. I really got along with my work family, and we would laugh all throughout our day. Now after a month away from them, I can really see the effects that being away from such positive and happy people has had on my life.
Going out with no plans
There is/was so much to do in the area where I live. It was such a great feeling to get up in the morning, leave the house, and simply see where the day took you. Like so many other things, it was something I truly took for granted. And I'm not talking about big stuff either. It's things like stopping by my favorite pizzeria for a slice and a Coke, hitting up the local Puerto Rican eatery for some Café con leche & fresh hot buttered bread, or simply walking around a Farmer's Market after breakfast. These were all such fulfilling little pieces of my life. I simply just didn't realize how much so until now.Travel
Traveling is one of those things that re-energizes and nourishes my soul. Where we live, there are no shortage of destinations to visit if you only have a day or two to spare. I had all kinds of plans for this summer, and now they are all shot. A couple days in St. Augustine, a few days in Key West, a cruise during my 50th birthday.. all cancelled. I know this mess won't last forever, but it sure did ruin my year.
Top 3 things I don't miss since lockdown began
"I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small, drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive, and then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little, but on Pretzel Day? Well, I like Pretzel Day".
-- Stanley Hudson (The Office)
Doesn't that about size it up? Life can get in the way and suck all of the joy and happiness from your soul. The only way to make up for that, is to find things that bring that joy and happiness back into your life.. (like pretzel Day). Unfortunately, I currently can't do a lot of the things right now that bring me joy, but I sure do have a lot of time to figure out new things to appease myself.
Commuting
My stress levels have dropped exponentially since not having to drive as much. You really can see the worst of people in traffic, and I often did on a daily basis. Nothing can ruin your day quicker than a terrible experience in traffic at the start, or end of your day.
Unnecessary & impulse spending
Many people won't agree with this one. That being said, I have several friends that have self admittedly been buying tons of items they don't need online to keep themselves entertained. I personally however have avoided this snare, because I shop a little differently when it comes to buying items online. I never just click and buy on a whim. I always add items to the cart and come back later to review what it is I'm actually buying. More often than not, I end up removing half of them. In fact, the 'Save for later' list on my Amazon account must be several miles long at this point.
I'm good at talking myself out of buying items online, but in retail stores, restaurants, theme parks or malls.. not so much. That's why I'm saving tons of money right now. Now if I wasn't being furloughed, and could actually access the broken Florida unemployment system, maybe my bank account would be holding steady and not shrinking.
So that's it for now. These are just the things that pop right off the top of my head. There are many more, and I'm sure the list will continue to grow the longer we are self isolating. I'm pretty sure a lot of people myself included are putting their lives under a microscope right now, and reassessing what is really important in their lives. If I didn't have writing as an outlet, I'm not exactly sure I could cope with all of the stress and worries that can plague the mind. Thanks for reading my random thoughts and musings during this time, and be good to yourselves my friends.