Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!

Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After

We’re taking a slight break in our Where Bloggers Live schedule to share a little bit about how we’re dealing with the current situation. Some of us might be doing something different, but…we’ve all got something interesting to share.

I live on Long Island and New Yorkers always think they’re the epicenter of the universe…and that’s no different now. Yes, I know the statistics are higher here than any other state, but I’m wondering if it feels different in other states.  Is everyone social distancing, wearing masks, standing in line to get into the grocery store, meeting friends on Zoom instead of at the diner, making do without their favorite products (#ILoveYouCharmin)? Or is NY just ahead of the curve and it’s just a matter of time before all those things come to your neighborhood? I don’t know.

I work for a school and at this point, schools in NY will be closed through at least April 29. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home so I’m not facing the financial worries that many others are. I feel for them. I’ve been there and it’s scary.

I am an INTROVERT, all caps. I love my friends and I love going out and doing things. But I NEED time alone. I find comfort in time spent alone. So this time is a nice respite for me in that not only am I not going anywhere, I don’t have to feel guilty that I’m not going anywhere. No FOMO when everyone is missing out.

And I’m an anxious introvert. So the way so many people are feeling now, being stuck at home: the stress and anxiety, insecurity, etc., that’s how I feel ALL the time. Right now, being removed from the world, I feel calm. I realize the future is uncertain, etc., but…my mind is calm.

I have always said that one of the best times of my life was the two years I was unemployed between my last job and this one. I mean, until I couldn’t make the mortgage payment, that was not good…but until then I was able to hide out at home when I needed, work (I was selling on eBay) on my own schedule, sleep on my schedule, avoid pretty much everyone, etc. This is sort of like that. Not quite to the same level as I’m working on work’s schedule and am still engaging with work people via phone, text, zoom, etc., but…it feels a little like that.

My mother…oh boy, that’s whole blog series in itself but…my mother modeled a stay-at-home lifestyle. She modeled a stay-in-BED lifestyle. In your nightgown. For days. And days. So, for me growing up, staying home, not getting dressed, not being social – that was normal. So…this all feels pretty comfortable to me.

I have made some slight adjustments during this time:

  • I’m eating better. I generally eat fast-food or take-out at least once a day. And now I can’t. I’m cooking because I can’t just “drive through Taco Bell on the way,” so if I want to eat…I have to cook.
  • I’m washing the dishes. I know I joke a lot about never washing the dishes. But really. I generally don’t wash the dishes until I have no clean dishes left. Disgusting but true. Now I’m trying to get to them once a day…since I’m here All The Time. And man is that hard on my back! Why do y’all wash the dishes so much??
  • I feel I’m actually being more work productive. I’ve been using the Pomodoro Technique, but have adapted it to suit me better with a 45/15 schedule vs. the suggested 25/15 minute schedule.
  • While I only get dressed if I’m going to leave the building. I’m making it a point to try and wear items I don’t normally reach for…or outfits that I like in theory but that I feel too self-conscious to wear to work.
  • I’ve been availing myself of some of the many free/low-cost virtual things going on out there right now. There are typically many things I want to DO…but that I don’t want to have to GO TO (see paragraphs 4-5). I’ve watched opera, browsed art museums, attended a Unitarian church service, meditated with my favorite teacher in Brooklyn, am taking a video editing course on Adobe Premiere Pro, attempting yoga again, and more.
  • I’m doing a 5-minute stretching routine during the workday (all that dish-washing has done a number on my back).
  • When I’m done with the workday I try to get to the sofa to read for awhile to really separate from being “in the office.”

Here’s what I’m NOT doing:

  • Checking the weather forecast. Who cares what it’s like out there? I don’t have to go out in it.
  • Spending money on eating out, filling my gas tank (<- silver lining).
  • Drying my hair, wearing makeup, shaving my legs. I adamantly oppose the “get up at your normal time, make your bed, get dressed, do your hair, put on make-up like you normally do” philosophy. There are not “normal” times (prepare for soapbox rant).

 I’ve seen exactly 1,732 articles and blog posts about the merits of maintaining your usual schedules and routines during this very irregular period of history (#coronavirus). But, as usual, I think exactly the opposite. Yes, this is a horrible plague and my heart goes out to those who are sick or who have lost people to this virus, and to the people on the front lines, helping to save lives and keep the world orderly and clean and safe. I in no way mean to make light of the situation.

But as far as the quarantine itself goes, I say…look for the silver linings. If you’re not working and are on mandatory lockdown in your home, then consider this time an opportunity. A chance to take a little break from normal life. Sleep in. Take a break from the noise and rush of “normal” life. Slow down. Pay attention to the things you’re doing and the people you’re engaging with (whether it be via text, phone, or zoom). Take a little life break.

Once you’re an adult, you get precious few “breaks” in life. This is one. You’re getting it whether you like it or not. Make the most of it.

I really, really am not making light of anyone else’s feelings…and I know many people are having a very hard time with the isolation, and are freaked out by the situation. I’ve been thinking about why I’m not. The isolation part I definitely get – I was groomed for it, as I said above. But the calm I feel about the situation overall? I wonder if…well, normally I’m more of a pessimist than an optimist (*I* really think I’m a realist, but I’ve been told otherwise). My life motto is “hoping for the best but expecting the worst” (“are they gonna drop the bomb or not ?” – the wonderful Alphaville song “Forever Young” from the 80s). I am always expecting the worst. So when it happens? Worldwide pandemic? Loss of job? Cancer? Well, I was expecting that. I don’t have to GO down to get low…I’m already there. So I feel like I might weather “bad things” more easily than some? I’m USED to feeling low. That’s my comfort zone.

Does any of that make sense? It’s just a hypothesis on my part.

Thanks for listening to my rambling…I’d really planned to make this post more pictorial…here’s where I work, here’s where I go to get AWAY from work, etc. Instead, not one picture, just me going blah blah blah.

I have every confidence the other ladies will have pictures and possibly more upbeat stories. Be sure to check out their posts:

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After

Thanks for watching and goodnight!