Posted on April 2, 2020 at 11:02 AM by Jason Macoviak
I am tired of being afraid, of catching the virus, of running out of toilet paper, of Trump being re-elected. To counter this fear, I have decided to take control of my life while still practicing social distancing.
One way I am doing this is by getting out of bed. Even though I have no outward reason to, I still get up at 6 o:clock almost every morning. If we have been up late the night before, I will get up at 7.
Most of my adult life I have gotten up early. When I was working, it was because I had a job, but even then, I usually got up about two hours before leave the house.
When I was working, I would read, meditate, and fix myself a healthy breakfast. Having time to myself in the morning allowed me to have part of my day for me, rather than my employer. It allowed me a sense of ownership of my day.
These days, along with meditating, reading, and cooking, I also take a long walk, and make a point of getting dressed. I don't want to feel like I am lounging through my life in my pajamas, especially these days, when it is so easy to feel powerless. Now, instead of wrenching my day away from my boss, I am wrenching my day away from the virus, and the political forces that have made this country's response to the pandemic such a disaster.
Another way that I am taking control of my life is by refusing to listen to the garbage that comes out of Trump's mouth. Carol watches the news everyday. She thinks it's important to know what's going on and to listen to what The President has to say. I admire her for that, but am longer willing to give one moment of my time to that bastard.
I'm not ignoring what's going on in the world. I read The New York Times every morning. I won't listen to bullshit.
Carol and I are also doing mundane things, like assembling jigsaw puzzles and watching an oddly compelling murder mystery series filmed in Iceland. In case you were wondering, viewing a foot chase through a snow bank, where both the perpetrator and the cop have to periodically stop and catch their breath, does lack that visceral thrill one gets from watching those same characters leap off buildings and scoot through moving traffic.
Carol and I are lucky. We are both retired. We don't have to worry about losing our jobs, making a house payment, feeding our kids. We have plenty of toilet paper. All we need to do is stay put. Under the circumstances, it is a very small sacrifice.