My Summer Vacation 2020
Our world is on the brink of calamity. We have met our match: COVID-19. The virus rules the world like some presidents wish they could.
We are on lock down. We are depressed. We are anxious. We are potentially broke. We may lose or have lost loved ones to the enemy. Crisis hotlines are seeing an 891 percent increase in call volume. A dreary, dreary world by any stretch of the imagination.
The day we were told to go home from our jobs, not knowing what the immediate, never mind long-term solution would be, our world suddenly imploded. I don’t know how you felt, but I felt like I’d just been fired—handed the proverbial file box, told to gather my things. My favorite coffee mug, my family pictures, my favorite pen, and my half-dead philodendron plant and take the walk of shame through the office corridor to the front door while colleagues avert their eyes.
After that first wave of “Oh my God,” I settled in and thought, “Hmmmm, we are all doomed, so why not jump into those projects you’ve wanted to do and just couldn’t because of the demands on your time? Free, free at last.”
Well, not quite. Aside from the nagging feelings of despair we have time to evolve as human beings. I live alone. Usually living alone has been appealing for me; now it’s testing my resolve in ways I never imagined.
The first thing I did was clean out my closet and donate ten garbage bags of clothes to the Red Cross. I then organized my closet by color and season and it’s beautiful. Of course, no one but me will see it. But it was quite an accomplishment for me, a person whose been told I am a hoarder. Not anymore.
I then crafted a plan to help me build a new structure, frankly in order to keep my sanity. My new structure centers around a daily schedule from which I do not deviate unless my mood needs a stimulus package. That’s when I break my schedule and watch a favorite movie.
My day is set:
- 8:00 alarm goes off
- Get dressed in casual Friday clothes
- Put make up on (yes, I do)
- Have breakfast
- Watch the news
- Get to work
- Afternoon break talk to a friend, or relative by phone or Zoom
- Resume work
- Plan dinner
- Close down at 6:00 pm for relaxation
- To bed by 9:00 pm read for two hours and sleep soundly
What’s a skill you’ve wanted to learn? Golf? Tennis? Sailing? Knitting?
You can learn all of that and more and never leave your living room. If you’ve ever watched The Big Bang Theory you will know that the Cal-Tech physicists on that show go out of their way to never participate in outdoor sports. Through video games and YouTube they fish, run marathons, have dance contests, shoot skeet, and have archery competitions—all from their living room.
Now we can all be geeks.
Unlike the 1918 Pandemic, we have THE INTERNET. That, my friends, is the silver lining in this terrifying disease we’ve all fallen victim to on one level or another.
For example, I’ve always needed to learn more about computer technology. I love computers. I just don’t know anything about it because I’ve always had “a guy” to help me. Now there’s no more guy. So I’m learning. It’s tedious, frustrating, annoying, slow-going, but I’m learning a new skill. Hell, I might start coding.
This is the time for us to exercise our imagination. No, we can’t take an actual cruise through the Mediterranean but we can find a video game (need info here) to simulate a cruise through the Greek Isles.
Have you thought there should be an app for your favorite subject or sport, but there isn’t one? Design one. You have a whole country full of app designers who may be furloughed and may be less expensive now. No money to pay the developer? Craft a barter agreement or one in which you both share in outcomes.
What does your new schedule look like? So happy you asked.
Monday:
Sit in a pleasant quiet corner away from family and let your mind drift to your “bucket list.” No quiet corner? Design one. You can form a barricade with chairs or a table. Put a note up saying “Gone Fishing. Back at 2:00 pm, or something to that effect. Something to alert your family to leave you alone for a specified amount of time. Take some time to meditate, reflect, discover, and listen inwardly to your deepest desires.
Tuesday:
Design and write down your new schedule. Stick to it
Wednesday and Thursday:
Research the skill you wish to learn.
Friday:
Gather materials you need if you have them already. Order them if you do not.
Saturday:
Cook a healthy dinner.
Sunday:
This is your day off. On my Sundays, I don’t get dressed for work. I read during the morning, and in the afternoon, I select a movie, make some popcorn, gather my trusty supply of M&Ms and Diet Coke and I sit back and enjoy the moment.
That’s right. Take time to enjoy a moment. Our collective souls need that.
Stay safe. Someday we will all meet again.
Get more exciting communication tips in Loud and Clear by Karen Berg. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/wm2tod4