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I really miss sports, but have enjoyed watching old baseball and football games on the cable networks. Amazing, but the Red Sox won the World Series AGAIN! Watching games on AstroTurf (REAL, from the AstroDome), those super tight polyester pants, the old announcers has been fun.
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The air quality is a lot better because the driving has been way down. Traffic and crowds are picking up again, but it is still not to pre-Covid levels because of the WFH
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Zooming with old friends. I miss the casual get togethers for lunch or a drink, but we’ve had Zooms with 20 people, many whom I would not meet for lunch (some because of distance, some just aren’t in my smaller social circle).
Silver lining - time to take advantage of a good online library, my iPad, and lots of suggestions of what to read from the thread here and from friends on Zoom happy hours.
@MaineLonghorn, your son and your family are in our prayers.
- Time with our kids. Easily #1. Actually talking about their plans and options for the months and years ahead.
- Watching way less TV. An occasional movie that everyone likes.
- Cooking way more as way to keep busy since I'm the only one currently without a remote job, remote internship, or remote study program.
- Zoom connections with family and friends
- Learning that DH and I can coexist in retirement as long as we live somewhere large enough that we both have our own space for part of the day
- Burning through that backlog of shows on the TIVO (and rapidly going through the wish list on streaming services)
- Our best friends live about 2 hours away and pre-covid we'd see them about once every 2-3 months. We now have a weekly zoom date which has been so fun and meaningful.
- Have spent more time with dh than ever before and, happy to say, it's shown me that we can make it through retirement.
- Less spending and more healthy eating (due to less/no eating out).
I know we’ve been lucky thus far and many people have it far, far worse. Still, trying to find something positive in the face of challenge has always helped me through tough times. Thus, I appreciate this thread. This is while I worry that my disabled sister, who was exposed and now quarantined, could become sick any time over the next several days.
- Finding out that at 60+ my hair isn't really very gray.
- I'll repeat @collage1's answer. Hopefully by the end of the year, H is retiring. Having him home during the day in "my" space (I've worked from home since 1985) hasn't been bad. We've gone back to playing Rummy 500 early evenings streaming music from the 60s & 70s. I always knew I loved him, but am relieved to know that after 40 years I still like him. ?
- Regular family Zoom sessions with my mom and siblings has brought our geographically spread out family together on a regular basis.
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DS’ new passport just arrived today. It only took 13 days! I was hoping to get it before Christmas.
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I’ve organized 2 out of 3 closets. The one remaining closet is the master bedroom walkin closet. We had had the floors redone just before covid and it was stuffed top to bottom with q TV, DS’ random stuff, paintings, blankets etc etc. I’ve pulled most things out. Boy, I have too many clothes. I’m going to have to purge.
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Good news: I discovered I’m a good baker, especially with the new Kitchenaid stand mixer I bought myself last summer. Bad news: I gained 5 pounds.
- Unexpected time with DD who just graduated from college on the other coast and was supposed to start job in another city
- 87 years old mom who is isolating mastered zoom communication. In the past she could not even figure out how to use smartphone.
- DD who was supposed to move to extremely HCOL area for her job is working from our home rent free and is able to max out her 401k and other investment options which would not have happened if she was paying rent
More time for video games, and it let me get in the right mind set for college/my future 
- It made me realize that life is full of uncertainties (e.g., chance of loss, peril and hazard); and need to learn how to deal with them.
- Cherish every moment with my family, especially my mom.
- Discovery of CC forum. :smile:
My feet feel great! Not wearing any shoes that make them ache!
Exercising nearly every day
Spending much more time with my DD20 than I would otherwise.
@BunsenBurner - Yes. This.
I wish this could be “pinned” at the top of the cc page.
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Have the time to learn & practice freehand machine quilting. (Have tons of unquilted tops–maybe I’ll finish them finally.)
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Working my way through various “stashes” (fabric, yarn, baking supplies, books on TBR pile, etc)–using them instead of just collecting them
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Letting go of the need for perfectionism. If I don’t have exactly the right fabric, flour, ingredient, etc. I need to complete a project or recipe, I just make do.
1, For the past 25+ years, I have traveled extensively for work. I love my work, but this this can involve half of my time or more weekdays on the road. Usually a transatlantic flight a month, sometimes two. I find myself having so many work hours. It is harder to build new relationships with clients, so travel will need to resume at some point.
2. My wife and I are really enjoying our time together. Our kids are on the other coast, so it is just us. My wife is a very good cook. We find a guy who delivers seafood from the harbor to our exurb and are enjoying incredibly fresh seafood, fresh vegetables from the CSA of one of our local farms.
3. We moved into a new house at the beginning of the Pandemic and didn’t realize how remarkably wonderful living at the new house would be. An ancillary benefit. I am wearing shorts and a tee shirt for work and dress clothes involve stepping up to a tennis shirt. No dry cleaning. Very little to wash.
- Enough time to increase my running miles each week. Should qualify for the Boston Marathon once I can run a marathon again. Just kidding. I will never qualify for Boston.
- I fixed all of the stupid little things wrong with my house that have been driving me nuts for the past 4 years.
- Seeing my HS senior get through this in style. Despite having a pretty rough3 weeks of being sick (likely COViD), he’s got a very “we are the lucky ones” attitude and he reminds us often.
@cypresspat - as they say, to qualify for Boston, you don’t have get faster… just a little older. Great job running!!!
Perhaps this should be its own thread, but I am so curious about the daily schedules of everyone who is exercising more or organizing closets etc.
What was removed from your schedules to allow for this extra time?
I am still (extremely lucky to be) working my job. My commute was literally 5 minutes so I am not saving much time there. Maybe a little personal grooming time on some days :).
My PT gig doing the books for DH’s business has dropped off a little, since we closed for a bit, but then more work was added to apply for various COVID grants and loans and figuring out all the details and paperwork for them. So that might actually be a net gain in work.
Caring for my aging parents - I can no longer visit them in person, so that is a net gain in time, but there have been many more phone calls with their facility so that may even that out.
I admit to being very jealous/puzzled on the “A Day in the Life . . .” Thread when so many people have time for extra yoga or long bike rides or cooking a new cuisine.
I am aware that I am being whiny here and I apologize. I think my problem is that pre-pandemic I was trying to do too much. And the only “job” I have any control over is my paid job, but if I decided to quit that, I’d be quitting the one thing that gives me the greatest personal satisfaction.
More on topic - I have to say having all this bonus time with S who is stick WFH with us now has been great! And I did find time to plant herbs in containers and I love having them available for cooking!!
I always WFH (part-time only about 10 hours a week) so that has stayed the same. I am no longer driving to my yoga class (doing it online via zoom) so that frees up 3 hours a week. My volunteering used to take up one afternoon a week. So I have gained probably 7 hours a week. I have probably spent most of this found time reading and doing jigsaw puzzles.
- Skin (face) looks better than it has in years. Maybe from days & days of being make up free? Less adult acne & blotchiness.
- Yard looks better than it has in many seasons. Hiking time has been replaced by yard work time.
- Sleeping for 8-10 hours at night.
@surfcity , somewhat like you I have been a little jealous of those people who seem to have tackled all closets, learned a new hobby, etc. while I have been still working 40 hours a week.
But I am someone who did say how WFH has allowed me to up my exercise and bake a little more, read a little more, etc.
Here’s how I have gained extra time:
No daily commute : 45 minutes total saved
No packing 2 meals to take to work: 10 minutes saved
Spring/summer = more hours of daylight - during COVID we have gained LOTS of light time! Morning and evening
Flexibility - Less of a hard and fast work time - I could monitor weather and walk/run when it was best weather wise - so no rain outs or heat outs because I can only get outside after 4:30pm.
Evening and weekend time more plentiful because I’m not out shopping or socializing.
I like to be productive. I wake up at 6am and don’t really sit down until at least 8pm - and that’s when I eat dinner. One hour of tv or reading at night and that’s it. In bed between 10-11 each night.