March 27, 2020: Day 6 of Shelter-in-Place

Today is the 6th day of our state ordered Shelter-in-Place.

My place of employment is considered essential for public health.  Thankfully I've been able to spend most of this week working from home with only a couple of office visits to complete tasks that could not be completed remotely.  

Here are some things I've learned during this week...
1. I thoroughly enjoy watching the birds in my front yard.  Every morning there are a pair of cardinals and a handful of robins flitting about my front yard.  I think they are collecting sticks and twigs for nest building.  They are singing and going out their birdliness without a care in the world.  Surely they know God's got their feathered backs.

2. Too much news is a downer.  Focus on what the World Health Organization and CDC are saying.  Listen to medical experts.  Mainstream media...well, there's a scene in the children's movie Bambi where Thumper (the rabbit) is about to say something not nice.  He pauses and tells Bambi that his mother always says that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.  Soo regarding the mainstream media, I'm going to follow Thumper's mom's advice.  

3. Slowing down is a good thing.

4. Take your vitamins (C, D, and zinc) for sure.

5. Fresh air, even on a cloudy day, is good for your mental health.

6. If you tap on your picture window and wave at your mail carrier, she/he will wave back and smile.

7. I've alternated between listening to Harvest Rockford's Spotify station, K-Love, and classical music.  I've forgotten how much I enjoy classical music - it's a great background for reading.  

8. You do not have to have Netflix, Disney+ or Hallmark Movies streaming 24/7.  Turn the tv off.  Pick up a book and read.  

9. If you look for the little blessings in each day, you will find them.  Write them down.  I've started a list.  Can I be honest?  I actually was discussing an idea with Celia (my feline).  I said to Celia, "We should make a chain of hope."  And then I said more to myself, " 'really, Angie Good.  You used we as if Celia can really help you make said chain.' "  I then resumed the Angie-Celia conversation, "Except we don't know when this will end so maybe everyday I will write down something that I learned or something that I read or something I heard on the radio and I will make a paper chain."  Celia thought it sounded like a good idea; I mean, she did give a resounding "Meow" which could have been an all-in-favor-please-say-aye/meow response.  Or it might have meant that she wanted some cat treats.  Hmmmm...

10. I like my morning commute from the coffeemaker to my laptop.  There's no traffic.  No one, aside from Celia, cutting me off.  No one running the stop light at Y Blvd and N. 2nd Street.  

11. I do miss my work peeps...however we are all staying in touch via email and texting and phone calls.  Just yesterday Robin (of Batman & Robin) was telling me the printer was acting-up and printing everything on letterhead.  I had to kindly inform him that said printer does that when Paper Tray #1 is out of plain paper.  He didn't believe me so when I went in, I sanitized said printer and pulled out a very empty Tray #1.  Behind the scenes I daily go through and check the printers.  

12. (This is sort of along the lines of #11) I miss routine.  I mean I have a new routine but I miss my original routine.  I don't want to look longingly back to my old routine and miss the blessings of my new routine...but I do miss what WAS normal.  What NOW is normal is growing on me...except for the fact that I'm going to probably need new pajamas when this Shelter-in-Place is lifted.  True story.  

I don't know about you, blog-stalker, but this whole forced unplugging from all the busy-ness of life has been very good for my mental health and my overall well-being.  

We always say yes.  
We always over-book ourselves.  (I know I'm not alone in this.)

My honest to goodness prayer in all of this has been 2-fold...
1st - Lord, show people that all the stuff and all the busy-ness is draining and only filling for a brief moment.  Show them they need You.

2nd. - Open the eyes of people to see how very toxic their fast-paced, fast-food, fast-fast-fast lifestyles are slowly killing them.  Show them little moments of grace and laughter and true happiness in the this unrushed time.  Help people to get back to cooking and healthy eating. 

Stay healthy!  Stay sane during this Shelter-in-home.  We're all in this together!!!

It's like riding a bike.

I cannot believe that I have not blogged here since September.  

It's been *doing the math inside my brain* 114 days.

Since it's been so long, I'm hopeful that blogging will be like riding a bike.  I mean everything is like riding a bike, right?  Like you don't knit for a year and then pick-up needles and BAM you are knitting.  You don't eat sushi with chopsticks for years and then go out for sushi, pick up the sticks and BAM it's like riding a bike, right?  

I feel kinda bad about this 114-day gap between blog posts.

It's not technically  been 114 days since I've blogged-blogged as I have that 2nd foodish blog where I'm working my way through Danielle Walker's cookbooks and I'm blogging about that adventure.  Infact that reminds me that I want to buy the fixin's for her baked potato soup and make it over the weekend.  

I've missed this blog...this wonderful place where I can be me and you can be you (stalking my blog).  

I'm thoroughly enjoying the gal I'm becoming...this confident gal who is not going to be quiet any longer.  Who when asked pointed questions - she knows her worth and value and will answer accordingly.  

It's 2020.  Let's start there...because when I was a kid I thought 2020 would be the year when we lived like The Jetsons.  I'm talking space cars and a robot named Rosie.  I don't have a space car...I have a super cool Corolla named Rosie so I suppose that counts for something.  

It's just weird writing 2020.  It's weird in that I'm not writing 2019 by mistake...I'm just writing 20 (insert a pause) and then the second 20 to make 2020.  

It's winter in the Midwest...a mild winter to start which has been wonderful; however, we are now entering January and that means cold weather...snow...and ice.  It's ok though because it happens every year and then following this cold weather, we will get the beautiful gift of spring.

I actually enjoy winter.  Enjoy not in the I-heart-my-face-being-so-cold-that-it-burns way but more in the quietness of winter.  It's a gift.  

I'm currently in-between books.  I picked up 3 books today from the library.  Two of which were holds and the 3rd just looked good.  The one I'm looking forward to reading is a memoir of a mother-daughter trip to Paris.  I KNOW -- PARIS!!!!!! AS IN EIFFEL TOWER AND FABULOUS CAFES AND MEN WITH ACCENTS!!!!!!!!!!  Which reminds me that I'm not technically between books because I have a copy of a Paris travel guide at work on my desk.  It's for break time when I want to peruse Paris cafes and flag fun, funky places to see.  

Honestly that's all that's new right now.
I've been enjoying the days beyond the #chainofhope.  The lack of condescending emails and equally dreadful comments make my heart go pitter-patter.  We are currently in the whole finding and not-finding game...but all is well.  We're muddling through.  Someone recently asked me if I missed #RAL and I honestly said, "Not even for a minute."  Truth be told - it's nice.  Stepping out of the adult(ish) 7th grade has been so glorious.  

I'm starting my 2020 year-long project of crocheting and knitting kids hats.  Three skeins of yarn are patiently waiting their turn to be hooked or needled into fabulous headwear for the children in our school district.  I need to find a place that can make - or just make myself - "You are loved" tags to sew inside each of my creations.  

As I'm wrapping up this blog post, I do want to confirm that blogging is a lot like riding a bike.  You can take a break from it but when you return, you remember being that kid on the 12-speed who was facing the gigantic hill on Rollin Highway (by Thorton's home).  You pedal to the edge of the hill and then coast to the bottom.  The wind whips through your hair and you laugh and laugh and hope you don't perish because crashing would be dreadful.  So I turned on my computer and logged in to my blog and typed and typed...  There's no wind whipping through my headbanded hair...only my essential oil diffuser pushing doTerra Cheer blend in to the air.  There's no laughing...maybe a chuckle here and there.  

Blogging.  It's so like riding a bike.