Many of us have been living in isolation now for a month, more or less. For my family it’s been about one month, exactly, that we’ve been sheltering in place. Whether you consider yourself to be self-isolating, sheltering in place, under quarantine, or some other variation on the theme, how is it going for you?
At the beginning, for us, it felt relatively natural. We had just come home from two weeks of travel, and it felt good to be back. Plus we already homeschool our kids, so spending the days all together is part of our regular routine.
Now that it’s been several weeks, it does feel more strange. Even though we are used to spending a lot of time together at home, we are also used to meeting up with friends at the park, or going to a science center, museum, or cultural event. Now we are socializing with technology. Using Zoom and FaceTime to stay connected to friends and family. Finding dance classes and art lessons streaming online.
I feel incredibly grateful to be as comfortable as I am right now, and I know that is a privilege that many people don’t have. So I’ve also been looking to technology to find ways to support other people. I’ve joined a local Mutual Aid group and picked up some extra supplies while I’m doing my own every-other-week grocery shop. And I’m continuing to reach out to my personal and professional networks to check in and connect.
I’m also finding that being forced to stay home has given me more motivation to pick up some of the projects that have been on my list for a while, but that require more consistency or patience. I’ve started some kitchen fermentation experiments, beginning with a sourdough starter and kombucha scoby. And my family and I are starting seeds and planning a vegetable and herb garden.
Although I am comfortable, and grateful, I am also filled with uncertainty and some anxiety. I have no sense of how long we will need to isolate ourselves, and even less clarity about what will happen next.
How are you? What has this experience been like so far? What are you grateful for? What are you anxious about? Who is supporting you? Who are you supporting?