COVID Log – Isolation Date 031920.07
Day seven of my attempt at social distancing.
The novelty of this exercise is really starting to wear off.
For the past two days I’ve mostly just laid in bed wondering if I’m sick. I have a bit of a sore throat and a stuffy nose and I feel generally weak and unwell. If I think about it this isn’t really an unusual feeling for me, in fact it could just be a result of poor air quality inside this house. Given what is going on in the world however, every little cough or hiccough sparks anxiety as to just how serious this might be.
The days are all running together and I often find myself unable to remember if or when I ate anything last. At least Fluffernut is good at reminding me when she needs to be fed or I fear that I’d be forgetting that too.
I had the bright idea that if I ate all my food supplies then I’d have an excuse to go out and shop, thankfully I was able to overcome that urge… for now.
My brother went to Costco, they managed to sell out of 17 skids of toilet paper before the store was even supposed to have opened. (still with the toilet paper?!)
I have to admit that I did go out yesterday and get a few things. I realized that as the stores start closing down certain “unnecessary” things (like craft supplies) may stop being readily available. (although I do think there is a case to be made that if you are going to be stuck in isolation for months at a time that craft supplies are indeed “necessary”).
As for my plan to make a schedule, it is seeming like more and more of a good idea. I hesitated at first because I was a bit afraid that it would feel too controlling and inflexible. After a week with no schedule I’m starting to realize that even a half assed attempt at a routine would be a welcome change to how my life is playing out right now. I’m contemplating different ways to gamify my routine so as to infuse it with some flexibility. Maybe having different chores on a list and rolling some dice to see which one I do next? Who knows, but at least the planning for making a routine is giving me something to do in the meantime.
The news coming from all over the world is still getting worse by the hour and I am trying hard to limit my exposure but my curiosity overcomes me quite regularly. The streets here are really starting to slow down and even the park next to my house has a significant lack of kids playing. The experts are only talking about “hoping” to “turn the tide” of this in 12 weeks. Now, I know a lot of people who haven’t lived near the ocean might not know this but when the tide “turns” does not mean that it is “out” it means that it is about half way through the cycle. This phrasing tells me that they are trying to ease us into the realization that we are in for a long haul.
I find it really interesting how the authorities are trying to control the panic of the population by talking about “weeks” instead of “months” and are announcing things a little bit at a time, but when you look at the situation as a whole, a reasonable person seems to be quite able to come to the conclusion that this is going to last a whole lot longer than anyone is currently even hinting at.
I do hope everyone is staying both safe and sane in this troubling time.
