It's been over two weeks and thought I don't have a lot of time, I feel like I should post something short in case anybody is worrying because of the radio silence. So far, we're fine. Getting used to quarantine and all the new routines has taken some time and is continuing to. But that is always the case when my life changes and I have to adapt to a new set of circumstances and learn how to thrive in them. I'm starting to get there, and am enjoying the beautiful spring weather we've been having. A bit cold at the moment, but the sunshine and fresh new growing things always puts me in good spirits.
I'm an introvert and a gamer, so being quarentiend is not a big deal for me, socially. It's been easy enough to move Friday night games to an online format, and I'm with my fiancee, so I've got someone to cuddle. Which is frankly more positive social interaction than I've gotten for years, before we got together, when I was just single, working through my Masters and such. And thankfully we're still allowed to go out for walks, and we've got a yard out back, so I'm pretty set, if things stay as they are.
I do wonder how long things will stay as they are though. It seems signs point to this quarantine lasting for a while, in which case, you've got to wonder if some of the various systems that are being stressed right now will break down. I suspect we will be generally ok. We have power, we have food.
It is however, quite the wake-up call for me. I've taken a number of classes with Tom Brown Jr., on nature survival, the philosophy of living with the earth, and with some classes he's talked more about disaster preparedness, and this really makes it strike home in a real way: that can happen to me, not just other people. And once it's hit, it's not a good time to start preparing for things. You want yourself well prepared before things get hairy. So I'm thinking to myself: do I have potable water? do I have food? Do I have way of meeting up with family if I can't use my cell phone? Do I have a plan if X, Y, or Z happens? Food for thought, and more than thought, action. Climate change is a thing, and that means more and more uncertainty about the world around us. Things are going to keep getting more tumultuous until we change how we do things, and for a while afterwards, due to the momentum of such a large system. To not be prepared for that is the illogical thing. Though it's normally easy to do, because we end up complacent, overwhelmed with our normal day-to-day lives.
But now, with many of us having extra time on our hands, is a perfect opportunity to reflect and plan. Do you have a rendezvous point for family, where you know to meet up if something happens and communication lines are down? Maybe you want a little victory garden for food security (and stress reduction, gardening.)
Also, some of you now have more time for things that are most important to you: family, passion projects and hobbies, maybe a spiritual practice. You may have more time for these things now. If your a parent struggling with children, that may not be the case. You may just have a newfound respect for the teaching profession.
Heaven and Hell are often a matter of perspective, and while there are certainly scary things going on in the world, and things to be careful of, there's always good that can be found in the situation at hand. I've yet to encounter a situation where I couldn't do that, even if it was just, "this is unpleasant, but teaching me something valuable."
Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, pray for those who need it.
Love,
I
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