Lent, Coronavirus and Spring

For the last ten days I have been enjoying my radio silence. I have not remained entirely off the grid. My morning worship in bed routine is done on a Kindle Fire and I have broken the "rules" on occasion to read a blog here and there (and comment once or maybe twice). I've mainly avoided the blogs, forums and Facebook by choice, and have not suffered for it.  I've been without my phone more than with it-except when in my pocket as a step and heart tracker. Instead I've spent additional time each day on prayer and meditation, attended a church dinnr and bible study and one other event weekly at church and have been doing discernment on a variety of topics-not all religious based as such. I've also done some thinking on how I can add a new "helping other" thing to my life when knowing my commitment would be less than a year.

This week my goal is to do better on my anti-tech and social media goals, and I won't be responding to any comments and going back to said silence for at least another week. I also plan to start  daily journal-something along the lines of morning pages that include bible journaling as part of my discernment process and Lenten meditations.

For those who asked why I did not just give up chocolate, Lent is meant to be about immersion and preparation for what come's after. Denial too, but that's not the primary purpose.

I've also been keeping up on Coronavirus issues-which are impossibe to avoid on any level. I try to keep a happy medium when thinking about this, and how it may affect the next few weeks or months.  I do think for many of us, it's time to move beyond the "life goes on as usual, just wash your hands" pilosophy and pepare for something further.  At least for a couple weeks. The question,of course, is where to go with that without complete over-reaction in the process.  Yesterday, the CDC pblished additional information and recommendations, including the fact that people sixty years of age and older should stay home as much as possible.

On the one hand this could be good advice (even though we have ony two diagnosed cases and no deaths in my state). On the other hand, I'm not ready to stay home and close the old doors.  Hermetically sealed life is not for me, if I can avoid it. If the zombie apocalypse ever comes, I accept that I will be among the first to go.  

I do want to keep myself and others healthy, so for now I'm judging each case and commitment one at a time, on a case by case basis. And keeping all of that in mind since I manage a large social group that has large social events in a manner of speaking.  I did cancel a packed local theater performance for tomorrow (for myself only). On the other hand,  I'm going to a painting class and my knitting group with a possible happy hour later in the week. I plan to go to church and wave at people during the sharing of the Peace (still deciding on that communal wine).  I'm scheduled to go to a line dancing class on Monday. And of course I live with someone who is sixty five and works (albeit in a small group environment) and a son who is a retaurant manager in a place that is packed daily-for now.  I do have to say that I most likely  will avoid going to places like the giant petri dish (as another blogger called it) that is Walmart!

 What I am NOT doing is buying up all the stuff. After watching a video this morning of people buying pallets of thirty and forty rolls of toilet paper and seeing an Amazon listing for seventy dollar sanitizer I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. What on earth are they thinking??!!??

Because even in  a downsized home in retirement I am of the keep the freezer and pantry and craft supplies stocked kind of gal, I did "up" those areas a teeny bit. After making a quick inventory of all that (mainly) protein in the outside freezer I did purchase everything I needed to make meals of each item. I bought nothing we would not normally eat although I did get a couple "convenience" items like frozen stew vegetables in case I needed them. And yes, I bought sanitizer. Three containers for three of us.

While food delivery and grocery delivery have improved exponentially, I do remember my son and I being sicker than the proverbial dogs and highly contagious for over two weeks with a "please end this" case of the regular flu and base these kind of things on that memory. We would not ask anyone else to share our contagion and the things we found to eat at the end of that two weeks.....Thank God for crackers and some hidden canned soup.

Besides, other than produce, some eggs and the occasional gallon of milk I should be able to avoid shopping for food for a month. Or two.  At least. And people, I HATE shopping. For anything, including groceries. In person or online. Except for yarn. And fabric. And the occasional really pretty sandal.

As for my travel, well, I have three day trips this spring that I plan to take at the moment and anything more complicated happens not until closer to the summer months.When I will make those decisions if I have to. This is one of those times when there are some real advantages to being a driver rather than a flier-I have only myself to worry about exchanging germs with, lol.

And now, back to my low tech/no tech season. Today it is supposed to be almost seventy degrees and I may actually get to sit out on the pergola swing with my meditations and journal. Minus the mimosas of course. Because, well, Lent.