What Birthdays Look Like Now

My bff's birthday is today. She probably would have had dinner with her husband, just the two of them, and we wouldn't have seen them anyway.  But this year is different. We put her favorite beer on our bi-weekly shopping list and dropped it off at her house this evening with some home made face masks.

It killed me to not run up and give them both big hugs. I got the beer and masks and started to walk up to them when I remembered we are in a pandemic. I stopped halfway and put the beer on the ground and backed away. It was so weird. 

I think that little bit of face to face interaction upset the balance we've cultivated. 

Heavy

Everything feels heavy today.

My head feels heavy.

My chest feels heavy.

My heart feels heavy.

I don't really have a reason. Well, a new reason. I'm just off. I had a good conversation about work with my supervisor so I guess I feel like I have some direction. I rescued my plants from my office. (Who knows when we will be back there?) I had a nice solo walk with some good music. Good things.

Still.

I've had a headache since early afternoon. I'm feeling sad. 

Tomorrow I will try to do some things. Maybe dig out my sewing machine, and get Maggie's going. Do some yard stuff. Get out of bed?

The Status if the World

Copied from a Facebook post and sums everything up.

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020

-Gas price a mile from home was $1.40

-School cancelled - yes cancelled (students left  March 13 and wouldn’t return)

-Self-distancing measures on the rise.

-Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.

-Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.

-Entire sports seasons cancelled.

-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.

-No masses, churches are closed.

-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now no gatherings of 5 or more.

-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

-Children's outdoor play parks are closed.

-We are to distance from each other.

-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

-Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

-Shelves are bare.

-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

-Fines are established for breaking the rules.

-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

-Press conferences daily from the President. -Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

-Government incentives to stay home.

-Barely anyone on the roads.

-People wearing masks and gloves outside.

-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

We have so much!

Be thankful. Be grateful.

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

Mark This Day

Wednesday, April 1, marks the day that I have given up. My pants do not have a button. I am wearing leggings....

COVID Diaries

We are in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic and life is tough now. The news is full of news about the COVID-19 virus and the entire world is in a panic. I feel like a record of how my world has changed will be valuable to look back on: for myself and for future generations.

I am a terrible writer but I feel this needs to be done so here we go....

Pre-quarantine Timeline

I have to say that we saw this coming. The events of the spread of COVID-19 are all there to search. Here's what has been happening in my little corner of the world.

Thursday, March 5: Matthew came home for spring break. COVID was in the news but at this point it was all somewhere else. We spent the night out of town at a hotel, shopping, eating out. We knew there was something going on but it was "not here"

Wednesday, March 11: WMU announced that all classes were moving to distance ed (online only). We report to work as usual. Matthew's school announced that all classes were moving to online only.

Thursday, March 12:  Maggie's last finals and also what we later learn is her last real day of school of her senior year.

Weekend of March 13-15: We had a friends weekend planned to go out of town with 2 other couples, staying at a hotel, eating out, drinking beer. At the time, we were worried but not enough to stay home. We washed our hands obsessively and didn't share beers like usual. COVID was on our minds but, at the time, we had no idea. We came home to a different world.
That Sunday, we all got groceries and bought a little more than we usually would. Thursday before we left, I realized we were just about out of dog food so I bought two 40 pound bags instead of just one, and did the hoarder thing and got toilet paper.

The following week, employees in high risk groups were given the option of working from home. Some took the opportunity but I continued to go in. It was very quiet and was very hard for this extrovert.

Friday, March 20: Went to work and got news that the University is closing and we all are going to be working from home. Supervisors had to decide how essential each of our jobs are. I am 50 % essential for the week of the 23rd-27th, and 25% essential for the next 4 weeks. For the 200 working hours of the 5 affected weeks, I am allowed to work (and required to show proof of) 60 hours and need to use my time off for 140 hours. We have been given an 80 hour COVID leave balance, so I will be taking 60 of my sick and/or annual hours. *As of 3/27, we have an additional 48 hours of COVID leave to use.*
I'm feeling confused and bitter and very GenX about the whole thing.

Saturday, March 21: Matthew and Sydney were on spring break from the 5th to the 15th. They left school expecting to be going back for the rest of the school year. They spent the week between our house and Sydney's and drove to Houghton and back to get what they needed to take online classes for a few weeks, again, expecting to go back. Then, it was announced that the online classes were for the rest of the semester and they have to clean out their rooms by April 12. They decided to get it done sooner than later and made the 10-hour each way trip for the 3rd weekend in a row to clean out their rooms.

Sunday, March 22: Everyone is home now and, while we miss Sydney, her family needs her to be home. The quarantine is official.

Moving Matters. Representation Matters.

As I’ve seen in the recent years since I’ve become a runner and gained an interest in fitness, I know that we come in all shapes and sizes. I know how very daunting it is to know you need to make positive changes through fitness but not see anyone that looks like you. Sometimes it is easier to not walk through that door into a running store or gym where I now know are welcoming and inclusive environments. As a person of size, I know how much representation matters. Fitness is not only about being thin or even about losing weight above all else. The number on the scale (or on the tag of your pants) is but one number to use to determine health. Better numbers are your PR times, how much you can lift, improvement in your cholesterol, or even how great you feel every day. I have met so many wonderful, supportive people through my local running community and I hope to share the love and help everyone learn how much moving matters.