Eleven days ago I was flying home from a week long work conference in Baltimore that was followed by a fantastic trip for a long weekend in New York City. Three longtime friends I don’t see enough of, had flown out to join me. We had some great meals, saw two great Broadway shows and watched Lifetime movies while drinking wine and having some girl talk. I even managed to spend a wonderful morning shopping at Macy’s.
All that fun is in sharp contrast to the events that are going on in Los Angeles and the rest of the world. Every day has brought new restrictions and fears and it is now looking like we are all going to pretty much be home bound for at least a month.
Since I already work from home, this has not had the impact on my life that other people are experiencing. Loss of income, loss of jobs and in some cases, maybe even loss of entire businesses are the reality of dealing with an awful virus.
I expected I would handle it better than I have been. The gyms closing was an emotional hit for me, not to mention that the band won’t be doing any gigs in the foreseeable future. I pulled out some weights from the closet, the yoga mat from the garage and have found some descent workout videos.
But instead of starting on a list of projects or working on learning some new songs, I found myself obsessing the whole week about finding toilet paper on line. I felt strangely disconnected from everyone, even though the only change to my regular weekly routine was not driving the couple of miles to workout. I also found it hard to stay focused on work, something I don’t usually have an issue with.
I think it makes a difference when you choose to stay at home versus being told you have to stay at home. Adjusting to the new normal is taking more time than I would like.
Kody, on the other hand, thinks this is fantastic. From a dog’s point of view, not having your human leave your side is the best! He even has gotten extra walks as I try to make up for loss of gym time.
Taking my cue from him, I decided to look at some positives that might come out of this whole pandemic thing. Here are my top three:
The WFH Revolution
Traffic in Los Angeles sucks. There are so many great things to see and do, but the traffic makes doing a lot of those great things a pass. The last week, as more and more businesses have moved their workforce to working from home, traffic has been a breeze. Not to mention, a whole group of people are finding out how much easier work life balance is when you don’t have a commute. My hope is that businesses will see, that work can get done outside an office setting and traffic will never go entirely back to what it was.
More Attention on the Homeless Problem
The homeless problem is a struggle for a lot of urban cities. Sometimes it takes a major crisis for government and the general population to come up with innovative solutions. As we realize this virus could be spread so much faster by the folks who don’t have anywhere to hunker down, I have actually heard some attention being paid to how we can solve this issue. I am not expecting a miracle here, but even if we come up with some ideas that get a fourth of the people off the streets, it would be a huge win.
Gratitude Makes A Comeback
I have to admit, I was angry and appalled when I walked into my local grocery store last Saturday. I have never seen a supermarket in the United States look like that. Empty shelves everywhere. People on their cell phones calling each other to discuss what stores they could find eggs. We have always taken for granted that as long as you had the money, anything you want can be bought. This is no longer the case.
I have no doubt, this virus will end and we will get through this. It would be wonderful if we can remember that nothing is promised, times are not always plentiful and the people we love may not be with us forever. But when times are good, we need to enjoy them and be grateful for every moment.
Likes spending time in a fun city with friends.
I can tell you this. If I ever see a package of Charmin toilet paper again, I am not just going to squeeze it. I am going to hug it and never let it go!
All that fun is in sharp contrast to the events that are going on in Los Angeles and the rest of the world. Every day has brought new restrictions and fears and it is now looking like we are all going to pretty much be home bound for at least a month.
Since I already work from home, this has not had the impact on my life that other people are experiencing. Loss of income, loss of jobs and in some cases, maybe even loss of entire businesses are the reality of dealing with an awful virus.
I expected I would handle it better than I have been. The gyms closing was an emotional hit for me, not to mention that the band won’t be doing any gigs in the foreseeable future. I pulled out some weights from the closet, the yoga mat from the garage and have found some descent workout videos.
But instead of starting on a list of projects or working on learning some new songs, I found myself obsessing the whole week about finding toilet paper on line. I felt strangely disconnected from everyone, even though the only change to my regular weekly routine was not driving the couple of miles to workout. I also found it hard to stay focused on work, something I don’t usually have an issue with.
I think it makes a difference when you choose to stay at home versus being told you have to stay at home. Adjusting to the new normal is taking more time than I would like.
Kody, on the other hand, thinks this is fantastic. From a dog’s point of view, not having your human leave your side is the best! He even has gotten extra walks as I try to make up for loss of gym time.
Taking my cue from him, I decided to look at some positives that might come out of this whole pandemic thing. Here are my top three:
The WFH Revolution
Traffic in Los Angeles sucks. There are so many great things to see and do, but the traffic makes doing a lot of those great things a pass. The last week, as more and more businesses have moved their workforce to working from home, traffic has been a breeze. Not to mention, a whole group of people are finding out how much easier work life balance is when you don’t have a commute. My hope is that businesses will see, that work can get done outside an office setting and traffic will never go entirely back to what it was.
More Attention on the Homeless Problem
The homeless problem is a struggle for a lot of urban cities. Sometimes it takes a major crisis for government and the general population to come up with innovative solutions. As we realize this virus could be spread so much faster by the folks who don’t have anywhere to hunker down, I have actually heard some attention being paid to how we can solve this issue. I am not expecting a miracle here, but even if we come up with some ideas that get a fourth of the people off the streets, it would be a huge win.
Gratitude Makes A Comeback
I have to admit, I was angry and appalled when I walked into my local grocery store last Saturday. I have never seen a supermarket in the United States look like that. Empty shelves everywhere. People on their cell phones calling each other to discuss what stores they could find eggs. We have always taken for granted that as long as you had the money, anything you want can be bought. This is no longer the case.
I have no doubt, this virus will end and we will get through this. It would be wonderful if we can remember that nothing is promised, times are not always plentiful and the people we love may not be with us forever. But when times are good, we need to enjoy them and be grateful for every moment.
Likes spending time in a fun city with friends.
I can tell you this. If I ever see a package of Charmin toilet paper again, I am not just going to squeeze it. I am going to hug it and never let it go!
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