Things I’ve Learned During the Pandemic…So Far

This post was inspired by my friend Kimberly over at The Windy Pages. She recently posted about some things she’s learned during this stay at home period and it’s inspired me to do the same. If you’re interested, go check out her post here, and say hi for me.

Sometimes I wake up and wonder if the last 5 months have just been a strange dream – leftovers from the most recent post-apocalyptic YA novel I’ve read or the big budget action movie I watched last night with a ridiculous premise and a hot leading man. Unfortunately I soon come to the realization that it hasn’t been a dream and that this pandemic is very real and it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. While I’ve enjoyed reading books about deadly viruses before and love a good disease film, I never imagined that I would one day experience a pandemic first hand. I have been very lucky so far and have a job that I can do from home and all my friends and family have managed to stay healthy. Even so, the pandemic has changed me in ways I may never fully grasp.

Here are a few things I’ve learned during the pandemic.

I am a social person. While I’ve always considered myself an introvert (and still do), I do like spending time with my circle of friends and family. Since the stay at home order began, I have been pretty isolated. Since I live alone I really don’t see very many people at all. And even though I’ve always enjoyed spending time alone, I always did it with the freedom to go places and do things where I would still interact with people. It’s so hard not being able to just go to Target whenever you want or pop into a movie theater on a hot day (I miss movie theaters so much!).

I am a lazy cook. Again, this is something I already knew about myself but it’s only been confirmed over the last few months. Like many people, I’ve been avoiding eating out and have been cooking for myself a lot. At first it was kind of cool like, hey, I have time to put a roast in the oven for 4 hours while I work. But it soon became tiring and cooking for me usually means eating something for a week straight. I am still trying to find a balance between cooking all the time and just eating cereal for every meal. I do enjoy baking though and have been doing more of that during the pandemic.

People are selfish and suck, but also, there is good in the world. If there’s anything that this pandemic really brought to light it’s that people can be total selfish @ssholes. I really don’t understand how wearing a mask and caring about other people has become a political issue. I really don’t. However, while I have witnessed so much selfishness and ignorance I have also witnessed people helping each other. From bartering with friends to neighbors doing the shopping for those at higher risk, I know there’s still some good in people (though it’s sometimes hard to find). I really liked John Krasinski’s Some Good News program. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch a few episodes. Promise it’ll make you smile. Also, WEAR A DAMN MASK.

Hoarding can be a good thing. Alright, I don’t mean actual hoarding as seen in the tv show Hoarders but having a slightly larger collection of certain things has come in handy during the pandemic. When it became clear that we’d have to wear masks I didn’t have to scramble to find mask-making materials. I already had yards of fabric and elastic sitting in my stash. Bookstores and libraries closed? Don’t worry, there are a couple hundred unread books sitting in my house just waiting to be read. Bored? Heck no! I have 15 years worth of yarn stashed to keep me knitting probably well into the next decade. So while I don’t recommend hoarding on a crazy level, I did find that having some of these stashed items to be very helpful during the pandemic.

Clutter is not your friend. This kind of goes hand in hand with the previous item. Staying at home means being in your home for long periods of time. I do best in a neat environment. I wouldn’t say I like super bare rooms but mess and clutter do stress me out. The pandemic has been a good time to really assess what I have and what I really “need” and what I can get rid of. Recently I went through my bookshelves and culled a few stacks to give away. While it may not seem like much to some, it felt good to get rid of them and give them new homes where they might be loved.

I love the outdoors/exercise is good. I’ve been taking daily walks during the pandemic since it’s really my only chance to go outside these days. Stay at home would be a lot easier for me if I had my own yard to hang out in. Since I don’t, I’ve been having a good time taking long walks around my neighborhood. I like to pop on my earphones and a podcast (Office Ladies is a current fave) and wander around enjoying the less polluted air and plant life. Luckily I live in a pretty chill neighborhood so the streets and sidewalks are pretty wide and it’s easy to avoid people if I have to. It’s a nice time to just breathe and reflect.

Thank god for technology. I can’t imagine having to go through something like this even 5 years ago. While I know it’s not perfect and some people still don’t have access to WiFi and devices, for many, the technology has been vital in being able to work from home, communicate with friends/family, entertain ourselves, and basically just function. I am just very grateful that the technology exists for me to be able to work from home and maintain connections with my loved ones. Without it, I would probably have killed someone by now. :)

Hold your friends and family close. I’ve always appreciated my networks of friends and family but I’ve grown to appreciate them even more during the pandemic. I text and call my friends a lot more than I used to. I’ve also been sending more real letters (please support the USPS) and make so many video calls.

Don’t be afraid to try new hobbies. I already have several hobbies to keep me busy (knitting, spinning, sewing, READING) but I recently decided to give puzzles a try. I’d been thinking of actually trying them pre-pandemic since I have a friend who has always been into them but after the shut down I decided to borrow a puzzle from her. Lo and behold, I found that I really enjoy them. I am not the only one as puzzles have become one of the hottest pandemic hobbies. I find something very soothing about creating order out of the chaos and it’s really good for your brain. I have been encouraging my friends and their kids to get into them, too. I have also tried diamond painting though I haven’t really given it my full attention yet. I tried baking with sourdough starter but quickly let that go. I still love baking but I don’t have the bandwidth to keep starter going. I prefer to use plain ol’ yeast, thank you! If you’ve been thinking of giving a new hobby a try, I say go for it. You might find something you really love.

Thanks for humoring me if you have made it this far. I know none of these things is particularly mind-blowing but it’s what I have been thinking about lately. This pandemic has helped me put perspective on some things. While I am still prone to anxiety attacks and sad moments, I’ve also learned to appreciate appreciate what I have and do things that bring me some happiness. Just remember, try to be kind to each other. You never know what someone else is going through and a little patience and empathy goes a long way. We are all in this together.