D and SIL evacuated from PC to their home base, my house! But ended up renting nearby due to my Typhoid Mary-esque status as a hospital worker. It has been heaven to have had her around, more than any time since high school.
Other D, when laid off, rented a garden plot to try to become a flower farmer. She is back at work, but between stimulus money and that short period of unemployment, she is working hard on her days and evenings off, keeping those flowers growing, while pressing her sister into service. Seeing her pursue a dream is worth a great deal.
I have a new pandemic cat! My old cats died last year and I planned to travel in future unencumbered by animals. But Ds found a rescue I might like, and suddenly we have a new princess who charms us all, and really is a comfort in this time of no physical touch.
reclaiming our backyard. One corner and the areas along the fenceline had become overgrown and unusable/ugly. I’ve cleaned it out and put grass all the way to edges.
took care of deferred maintenance on our screen porch. We treated the wood with water sealer and repainted steps.
Took family walks and explored our whole neighborhood.
Our yard is looking better than it has in years. We’ve painted most of the downstairs rooms and should finish in the next couple of weeks. I’m getting to know the other staff in my department better, mostly through Zoom chat, and they continue to be great teammates.
Zoom. I never would have even known that it exists, but I had to learn it fast when my CC classes went remote in March, and now I am pretty good at it. Not pro level yet, but definitely skilled amateur. Also, my faculty account and my daughter's grad student account mean that we can see each other and other family members whenever we feel like it - together apart!
Savings. I'm remote indefinitely, DH was remote for 2 1/2 months so not much spent on gasoline. No take-out until two weeks ago, and our first restaurant trip (patio dining) was last Sunday. Yes, the grocery bill went up a bit, but boy have we saved on dining out! Two wedding trips and summer vacation were cancelled, so more savings there as well. Even with my teaching hours being reduced, we will come out ahead.
Adorable grand-cat. DD has always wanted a cat. I'm allergic. The pandemic meant her summer gigs were cancelled, so she stayed in her grad-school city and after a brief cat-foster experience, decided to adopt. I receive daily reports (often over Zoom, see #1 above) about the grand-cat, and thoroughly enjoy the virtual (and allergy-free) pet experience. <3
Sewing has led to newfound seamstresses-in-kind in my town.
People have been sharing materials, patterns, ideas, etc. via facebook mask groups that are organized: sewing for first responders and essential groups.
Spent a ton of time with my husband just playing games and having the now "existential" conversations.
Watching movies I never would have watched had we not scrolled through Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.
I think it depends on how much you really live alone. It’s one thing to have two dinner plates on the table, someone else’s pillow next to yours. Another when your friends see their sense of community and possibilities to truly interact dwindle. They’re not getting hugs.
I am needlepointing after a 40 year break. I am loving it again. I started before the lockdown as something to do on road trips. I have finished 10 smallish projects so far this year. I am limited by not having a needlework store within 2 hours. Thank goodness for ebay!!
We live in a small town. We have dreadful internet. (And ours is better than many of our friends here.) There was no long distance learning. The schools just sent home large packets of work to do for the students. Because of the internet situation, our electric cooperative is seriously looking to bringing in and providing broadband. (They don't want to go into debt for it, but want to use debt for a new building.)
-Remote classes. Previously they were held in person, and I often had to forgo because I was away so often. They plan to continue many virtually. Now, no matter where I am, I can log into the classes.
-More time seeing & talking w/ neighbors , and reconnecting with old friends online, with the extra time spent at home.
-Less traffic, because rush hour is gone!
Only one true benefit (everything else is a rationalization)
My son had planned to quit his fantastic job in Boston and sell his condo and move to NYC to live with his girlfriend. They wanted to try living together as an important step in their relationship. I don’t tell him what to do, but suggested quitting a great job and moving to NY without a job might not be the smartest thing to do. Why not continue seeing each other on weekends?
So when pandemic things started getting serious in March, they were both told to work from home. He went to NY and moved into her apartment and they lived together and both “worked from home” for almost 3 months. They got to have their cake while eating it! Only made possible by the pandemic.
I think there are a lot of people alone and isolated, not seeing kids or parents, not socializing, without work, and without stable housing during a pandemic.
This week, with all the surges, makes me afraid.
Sorry I probably shouldn’t have looked at this thread.
I understand the impulse, but it is kind of a bad week with COVID.
H and I have started a weekly zoom call with both kids every Sunday afternoon. It started as a way to play online euchre together (and we do), but it's so nice to all be "together " to talk.
H wasn't working at all for 3 months, so it was sort of a "dry run" for upcoming retirement. I was pleasantly surprised that he has had no problem filling time in productive ways- projects around the house, grocery shopping and cooking, daily walks, etc.
I think it’s OK to look for positives in this situation even while acknowledging this is rough for many, many people (including my son, who is in the ER right now while I can’t visit him).
I too struggle a little with this thread. Unlike many of you the pandemic has meant less time with my family. I have not been able to see my daughter for months and she has not been able to see any family or friends in person for months.
1 - We have spent less money - buying less gas, lower car insurance, no travel or entertainment, no restaurants, no impulse buying in a store, etc. My husband retired the end of last year and we were going to be doing a bunch of traveling this spring.
2 - I lost some weight - don’t think it was better eating. I think the stress hit my metabolism big time.
3 - Keeping in touch via zoom with a group of my friends (we don’t get together that often anymore and we don’t all live close to each other any more so this was a treat)
I have not set a wakeup alarm in months. That is the biggest benefit.
I also have been tidying and cleaning out my house. We rented a dumpster and did a huge purge of old furniture, old electronics, useless junk. It felt really good. I would not have the time to do this normally.
Like others, extra family time, esp. my college D who was home a total of about 4 weeks in 2019. My D is also a good influence on my S21 and I’m glad they’ve had this time together.
During our loooong glorious warm, but not hot, Spring we were walking about 4 miles a day, and now that it’s hot I’m walking 2 miles a day and swimming laps 3x a week. I’ve dropped about 5 of the 15 pounds I’d like to drop.
Better dinners because my H is the cook and since he’s not commuting he has more time and creativity in the kitchen and we all benefit!