Coronavirus Chronicles: Work in progress
I'm calling this Day 3, even though I started blogging only yesterday. Saturday was the first true day of social distancing, so this is the third day in of what I'm betting will be at least 20.
This was also the first day back at work, completely in the office I straightened out yesterday. I enjoy the flexibility my job offers that I can work from anyplace -- and often, I'm more productive somewhere else, plus I don't graze as much. So five days straight, week after week, in my office feels a little daunting. I have coworkers stressing about having their kids at home during this; I'm stressing about just being at home during this. I never want to work in an office again, but I thrive on the idea that I can change my environment up whenever I need to. Until it gets warm out and I can work outside -- and I tried the porch today for about 20 minutes but spring isn't quite here yet -- I won't have a coffee shop or a library or a swim practice to shake things up.
That said, today wasn't so bad. I found some jar candles left over from another time, and I've had one lit next to me most of the day, which has helped make the office feel cozier. I did eat more than planned, but that will normalize too (I'll probably return to tracking what I eat tomorrow). I'm thinking of taking a half-hour to work out at some point tomorrow.
Lori went to the store this morning, so we are more than set for groceries for, I bet, three weeks. We might need a few things here and there if we want to make something specific (for example, if we want to grill when the weather improves), but that's going to be the exception. For dinner tonight, we ordered takeout burgers from BGR -- helping support a local business that tomorrow won't be getting any foot traffic because of health department orders.
After dinner, Lori, Ben and I played Scrabble (I won) and Michael and I took a long walk (he was feeling antsy and wanted to instead take the car out; we said no). These things felt good and cemented what was a decent day.
Yet, the gloom still set in, this time because of two accounts I read of younger, healthier people getting their ass kicked by the virus. I have mild asthma and a history of colds turning into bronchitis, followed by days and even weeks of me coughing crap out of my lungs. Years ago, my coworkers and I joked that cough was JARS -- Joe's annoying respiratory syndrome. Since I went on asthma medication about 15 years ago, the bronchitis hasn't been as bad, yet every cold still descends into a phlegm-filled event that I need to cough out.
I'm now a little nervous that my lungs will freak out if I catch the virus. I probably shouldn't be -- the asthma medications have likely made my lungs stronger, and there's no documented evidence that asthmatics are more at risk if they catch the virus. But this is where my brain goes. Being stressed and worried is clinically worse for your health, making you more susceptible to catching something. However, not feeling edgy during this crisis is not so easy.
I didn't sleep well last night -- I blogged and went right to bed, and even though writing was meant to sort my emotions out, I didn't quite come down from that sorting before lying down. I won't make that mistake tonight.
This was also the first day back at work, completely in the office I straightened out yesterday. I enjoy the flexibility my job offers that I can work from anyplace -- and often, I'm more productive somewhere else, plus I don't graze as much. So five days straight, week after week, in my office feels a little daunting. I have coworkers stressing about having their kids at home during this; I'm stressing about just being at home during this. I never want to work in an office again, but I thrive on the idea that I can change my environment up whenever I need to. Until it gets warm out and I can work outside -- and I tried the porch today for about 20 minutes but spring isn't quite here yet -- I won't have a coffee shop or a library or a swim practice to shake things up.
Lori went to the store this morning, so we are more than set for groceries for, I bet, three weeks. We might need a few things here and there if we want to make something specific (for example, if we want to grill when the weather improves), but that's going to be the exception. For dinner tonight, we ordered takeout burgers from BGR -- helping support a local business that tomorrow won't be getting any foot traffic because of health department orders.
After dinner, Lori, Ben and I played Scrabble (I won) and Michael and I took a long walk (he was feeling antsy and wanted to instead take the car out; we said no). These things felt good and cemented what was a decent day.
Yet, the gloom still set in, this time because of two accounts I read of younger, healthier people getting their ass kicked by the virus. I have mild asthma and a history of colds turning into bronchitis, followed by days and even weeks of me coughing crap out of my lungs. Years ago, my coworkers and I joked that cough was JARS -- Joe's annoying respiratory syndrome. Since I went on asthma medication about 15 years ago, the bronchitis hasn't been as bad, yet every cold still descends into a phlegm-filled event that I need to cough out.
I'm now a little nervous that my lungs will freak out if I catch the virus. I probably shouldn't be -- the asthma medications have likely made my lungs stronger, and there's no documented evidence that asthmatics are more at risk if they catch the virus. But this is where my brain goes. Being stressed and worried is clinically worse for your health, making you more susceptible to catching something. However, not feeling edgy during this crisis is not so easy.
I didn't sleep well last night -- I blogged and went right to bed, and even though writing was meant to sort my emotions out, I didn't quite come down from that sorting before lying down. I won't make that mistake tonight.
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