Day 1 of CoronaVirus Social Distancing
March 14, 2020
Effective last night, my husband Steve and I decided to practice extreme “social distancing.” We reviewed our calendar, canceled a doctors appoint, canceled tennis engagements, and canceled music rehearsals and performances; he moonlights as a professional jazz/pop musician in town, while I perform classical music with a volunteer orchestra and a woodwind quintet. Our decision was neither easy nor difficult and there were pros and cons in each direction. The outbreak has only barely reached our state and our community has no reported cases, as yet. However, our governor had just closed all schools, the local museum and library announced their closure, and the local district of US Tennis Association announced that all USTA league matches were canceled (that took care of a lot on my calendar).
Admittedly, we’re on easy street in this. We’re both retired, we’re healthy, and only one of us fits the “over 60” profile for those advised to stay home. We have a comfortable home, a nice neighborhood to walk in, and no shortage of interests and hobbies to keep us occupied. Additionally, we’re introverts by nature, and we enjoy spending time together, even 24/7, as long as we get some personal time throughout the day.
So, what now? I started my first day sleeping in, which was NOT part of the plan. The plan was to keep a schedule and have some sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I tried to make up for it once I was up and going. What did I do today? Here’s a run down. If you’re looking for ideas, please feel free to use these for inspiration, or start your own list of things you want to accomplish once you’ve stepped off the merry-go-round of life.
What did you do the first day of your escape from Coronavirus? Please share!
Day 1 activities – some beneficial (+++)/ some not so much (-)
- Slept in (+ and -)
- Spent at least an hour reading coronavirus news (—-, but somewhat necessary, no?)
- Dug out my sprouting kit with seeds and beans and started sprouts to help me stay healthy and have fresh greens (+++)
- Made a grocery list, but decided to wait until Monday to go (+) / Note: we had previously done some serious shopping, so all of this is bonus items and fresh produce.
- Dug out my sourdough starter that’s been in hibernation in the fridge and fed it, so that in a few days I can make homemade bread! (+++)
- Made a fresh kale salad (+++)
- Took TWO walks. One with hubby in the morning, and one early evening by myself; waved to neighbors (+++)
- Did some exercises and stretches (+++)
- Practiced Tai Chi (+++)
- Started listening to book on tape during walk: Twyla Tharp’s Keep it Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life(+++) – highly recommended reading. The famous dancer / choreographer’s advice on aging and growing.
- Read a little on my kindle of current novel: Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer (+++). I had read his novel Version Control and really enjoyed it. Provactive as is Mary Toft.
- Received a phone call from dear friends Ken and Kim in another part of the state. Shared stories and heard a bit about their recent sailing trip in the Spanish Virgin Islands. (+++) Note: If you’re looking for some fun reading, chef out Kim’s books here: www.kimberlibindschatel.com
- Drank a small gin martini (+ and -)
- Baked a pound cake. Made me think of my grandmother Mimi who frequently made pound cake. It was “Special Pound Cake” from The Treasured Recipes from the Charleston Cake Lady. Boy, was it good. Below is a copy of the recipe. I recommend!
- Had a dinner of turkey burgers, kale salad, and purple roasted tiny potatoes, with a glass of wine (+++). Lucky for me, my hubby likes to cook so he prepared everything but the salad.
- After discussions about what to do in the evenings, decided that since it was a Saturday night, we’d watch a movie. (Don’t want to resort to this every night). The movie was excellent, but depressing, so we quite after 45 min (Netflix’s Marriage Story) (+ and -)
- Switched and watched an episode of The Stranger, an Irish mystery on Netflix recommended by my sis.
- Throughout the day, thought about a blog to document our social isolation decision and activities. It’s been a retirement goal to start a blog but a theme was always missing. Problem solved! (+++)
- Made a list of things I wanted to accomplish on day 2
- Lights out for me around 10:30 pm. Note: I love to sleep! (+++)
