Quarantine and Chill

Day 20. 

It’s been 20 days since I left work. I haven’t had so few responsibilities since I was 18 years old. At first I was teleworking, but then my employer gradually had to reduce our hours. Well, sort of. It’s complicated, and I can’t really discuss it here. My job may not start back until the end of May. 

Fortunately, I was able to file for unemployment. I’m not sure when it will start, since so many others are filing right now. 

I thought I’d fill all of my free time binging on Netflix and rewatching every episode of “Hoarders” and “The First 48” for the fifth time. I figured it was my patriotic duty to literally curl up on the couch and finally finish season two of “Westworld,” or discover all new characters like “Joe Exotic.” 

Strangely enough, though, I haven’t actually been watching much T.V. Instead, I started reading. I read through a book about growing up in Appalachia, and now I’m reading “Eat Pray Love.” I started a free online college class through Yale. (Okay, it’s a YouTube class, but still – I’m going to proudly sport that Yale sweater my mom bought at K-Mart in 1990). I take a nap every afternoon. I taught my parents how to use the face call option on Messenger. I walk my dogs multiple times per day. I check the mail approximately six times per day; thinking there’s going to be something exciting the next time I open the mailbox door (spoiler: there’s only bills). I took a “stay in the car” drive to a hiking spot one day, but there were so many people out that my anxiety skyrocketed, and I vowed pretty much to stay at home for good after that. 

Speaking of which, like almost everybody else along on this journey, I deal with anxiety. More specifically, OCD. In the past, I’ve actually gone through OCD phobias of “wash your hands or you’ll spread germs to others, they’ll get sick, and it will spread around the world, causing a pandemic.” I’ve been training for this most of my life, or so it seems.

I’m recording the podcast with Daniel once a week. I’ve been more active on social media, which is odd because I always thought if I ever “lost” my job it would be the exact opposite. 

I’ve been preparing for Septemberoo by making a list of artists I want to see, and artists we are getting confirmations on. I’m working on my outfits, and slightly tweaking them to prepare for the longer nights. I devour Bonnaroo YouTube videos – performances, recaps, whatever I can find. 

The truth is, though, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing right now, but that’s not a bad thing. We don’t have to know what we are doing right now. We don’t have to have our lives planned out in a neat and tidy bullet journal or day planner. (If you have one, throw it out). The only rule we have to follow right now is “stay home,” and that’s pretty basic. 

If playing “Candy Crush” all day long to your heart’s content is your ultimate gratification, then by all means, go get your iPhone 6+, and play all the Candy Crush you want. If painting is your thing, get your supplies ready, because this is your month. How about that novel you have always wanted to work on, but never found the time for? There’s plenty of time now! Always wanted to put a second language on your resume? There’s tons of free online classes that can help you with that. Want to learn to play that guitar your old roommate’s cousin’s ex-boyfriend left in your closet? Might as well start now. 

There’s literally nothing we *have* to be doing right now, except chilling. Literally, chilling. The government is literally asking us to chill. 

What are you doing during the quarantine? Are you taking up a new hobby? Taking some rest time for yourself? Still working? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.