A few thoughts on the current state of life in a completely different world

The coronavirus has completely changed life as we know it.

While I don’t want to downplay the seriousness of the situation, I did want to offer a few thoughts on some of the odd changes I have noticed:

• I can’t stop singing Happy Birthday to myself every time I wash my hands. I don’t even realize I am doing it now, and when I am done I tell myself “Happy Birthday!”
• Can you imagine how weird it will be to sing Happy Birthday at birthday parties from now on? We’ll all feel like we have to wash our hands as soon as we start singing.

• I may stay healthy by staying home a lot, but I am also eating terribly. I can’t stop snacking! Suddenly I have no willpower and I am eating out of stress and boredom. The other night, we had doughnuts for dinner.
• I’m not much of a hugger, so I don’t mind the social distancing. For several of my family members, though, it has been a huge change. They always hug family members and friends, and I think they are having a hard time without hugging people now. For me, it just eliminates my internal conversations over if I am supposed to hug someone, how long I should stay in the hug and if it would be ok if I just waved my hand instead of hugging. This has been much easier for me.
• Going to the grocery store is so odd. I feel like the other shoppers all want to stay away from me, so I try to give people space. It’s difficult, though, in the narrow aisles. I also am not sure if I should talk to people at the store anymore or not.
• I am sure, though, that I am buying lots of candy and doughnuts at the store. The stores seem to have a fine supply of junk food, thankfully, so I have been purchasing a lot of it.
• I don’t feel like I can touch an item that I’m not going to buy anymore. In the past, I might pick up a product and look at the box to decide. Now, if I pick it up, I try to make sure not to touch anything else, and then I am buying whatever I touch.
• The cats at the house don’t seem to like us working at home right now. They sit in my desk chair whenever I get up, they sit on top of my work papers and they rarely laugh at my work jokes. I bet my coworkers miss my work jokes. They are probably having the hardest time out of anyone with this.
• I feel like I need to convey to my coworkers that I am an essential employee, even if I am working from home. I try to sneak the word “essential” into work conversations I am having just so they think of me when they think of “essential.” I might say, for example, “I’d argue that the balls of cookie dough I have been eating are essentially just no bake cookies,” or “Have you met my cats, I named then S and Chill.”
• I don’t think I remember how to tie a tie anymore.
• It is very frustrating that at the time in my life when I have to stay home and watch television, there is no live sports on television. I am now understanding just how much of my television time was filled with watching sports before.
• I don’t even know where my good shoes are.
• I miss going to work. I was planning a few weeks ago to take some days off to spend more time at home, but now I miss my coworkers and my usual work days.
• I have failed miserably so far at my plans to do more reading, cleaning or other projects.
• I have no excuse not to jog with the Athens Jogging Club anymore. Before all of this, we usually jogged 5 days a week or more, depending on our schedules. Now, we have not missed a day in the last two weeks because we have no other plans. The jogs are now a high point of the day. I am not doing any extra exercise like I thought I would, but it is easy to keep up with the usual jogging.
• I miss having a routine. I keep trying to make one, but the world keeps changing nearly every day. I hope to be in a routine soon, and I hope life gets back to normal before too long, too.
• Most of all, I hope we all stay healthy through this. If you are reading this, I want you to know that I hope you are doing all right, wherever you are. I want you to stay safe, I want you to stay happy and I want you to know that I and many people are pulling for you.
• We’re going to get through this. We may get fatter, but we’re going to make it. Try to stay positive, stay healthy and look forward to hugging your family and friends again soon. I will wave at mine.