I was lucky. I retired a couple of years before the outbreak, and my wife and I were already homebodies. Other than running most mornings and taking long walks, we'd been spending most of our time at home. My wife has asthma, which has been getting worse every year, so she was already wearing a mask in public before Covid. After the outbreak, we started getting our groceries delivered by Instacart, and we liked it so much that we're still doing it. We were already buying everything else we wanted online. We stopped going to movie theaters long before Covid, preferring to watch them on our big-screen TV in the privacy of our own home. Our partying years are behind us. We have resumed limited social interaction with close friends and immediate family, but Covid more or less justified our already private lifestyle.
We could do a pros and cons table about being retired during a pandemic. Yeah, you don't have to deal with a boss, commute, the party scene (!), but your immune system isn't what it used to be... Thanks Douglas.
The pandemic made me better in the kitchen! Because we were so limited getting out and when we did, saw limited supplies, I tried to improve my meal planning and shopping lists. Charting out days and weeks of meals and all of the necessary ingredients with a lot of flexibility built in. For a family of 3, we were bursting at the seams after a grocery run but it was my project, under the watchful eyes of the dog, while others worked and attended class online.
Gosh, lockdown - I kinda loved it. Finally finished a novel, empty streets, no need for excuses why I can't/won't/don't want to go do social things. Still, I would never wish for anything like that again, the people who died, the health care workers ground down, the cavalier/selfish attitude of people over masking. Very strange time, indeed.
In some ways a huge impact (my son’s freshman was like torture for him but he seems to have fully rebounded). In others a good way to break out of old habits (more flexibility considered in work locations). Good piece!
Interesting topic for conversation. I was just turning 62 when COVID hit, retired from my legacy career, and working half time for an agency providing in-home care. Time sped up to ridiculous levels because I never stopped moving, showering clients, filling in for sick caregivers, out and about all day shopping, driving all over the place. Felt like I'd never been busier. Took a lot of walks in my free time and wrote a lot. I've been in a wonderful writing group for a number of years, and meeting with them every two weeks through COVID was something that kept me going. Didn't see many friends or family, but I take care of my mother so I was over to see her pretty regularly. My local indie movie theater is just a few blocks away, so I go there a lot. Since I'm a member, I get free popcorn.
I was lucky. I retired a couple of years before the outbreak, and my wife and I were already homebodies. Other than running most mornings and taking long walks, we'd been spending most of our time at home. My wife has asthma, which has been getting worse every year, so she was already wearing a mask in public before Covid. After the outbreak, we started getting our groceries delivered by Instacart, and we liked it so much that we're still doing it. We were already buying everything else we wanted online. We stopped going to movie theaters long before Covid, preferring to watch them on our big-screen TV in the privacy of our own home. Our partying years are behind us. We have resumed limited social interaction with close friends and immediate family, but Covid more or less justified our already private lifestyle.
We could do a pros and cons table about being retired during a pandemic. Yeah, you don't have to deal with a boss, commute, the party scene (!), but your immune system isn't what it used to be... Thanks Douglas.
The pandemic made me better in the kitchen! Because we were so limited getting out and when we did, saw limited supplies, I tried to improve my meal planning and shopping lists. Charting out days and weeks of meals and all of the necessary ingredients with a lot of flexibility built in. For a family of 3, we were bursting at the seams after a grocery run but it was my project, under the watchful eyes of the dog, while others worked and attended class online.
The watchful dog, lol. I'm sure she didn't miss one single move made by the cook!
Gosh, lockdown - I kinda loved it. Finally finished a novel, empty streets, no need for excuses why I can't/won't/don't want to go do social things. Still, I would never wish for anything like that again, the people who died, the health care workers ground down, the cavalier/selfish attitude of people over masking. Very strange time, indeed.
I felt the same... I wrote so much during these years, yet it's a bitter sentiment. So much pain.
In some ways a huge impact (my son’s freshman was like torture for him but he seems to have fully rebounded). In others a good way to break out of old habits (more flexibility considered in work locations). Good piece!
Thanks Tricia. It's still a little too close to weigh all the changes we went through. Thanks for reading.
Interesting topic for conversation. I was just turning 62 when COVID hit, retired from my legacy career, and working half time for an agency providing in-home care. Time sped up to ridiculous levels because I never stopped moving, showering clients, filling in for sick caregivers, out and about all day shopping, driving all over the place. Felt like I'd never been busier. Took a lot of walks in my free time and wrote a lot. I've been in a wonderful writing group for a number of years, and meeting with them every two weeks through COVID was something that kept me going. Didn't see many friends or family, but I take care of my mother so I was over to see her pretty regularly. My local indie movie theater is just a few blocks away, so I go there a lot. Since I'm a member, I get free popcorn.
A maelstrom of activity for you, and yet you wrote a lot. Time and what we do with it is a fascinating subject.