We live in an interesting time, such a different life now from before. But not all of the changes have been bad. Granted, my family is well, so I’ve been spared the worst. Likewise, employment. I write every morning, same as always.

Not everyone is as lucky. My heart aches for those whose losses have been so much greater. A life lost is gone, but I pray that lost livelihoods do eventually return.

Other things I pray do not. For starters, I’ve discovered …

Family and Friends.

I miss them!  Only now, when I can’t see them in the flesh, do I realize how much. It’s like I was caught up in a rushing current.  Then, suddenly, the water stilled. In the stillness, things deep down are suddenly visible. Yes, I need to know that friends and family are well.

But I’ve found I want more. I want to spend time with these people in ways that the rushing current has let slip – and a quick text doesn’t do it. I need face to face. Two of my three sons are out of state, as are many of my friends, and yet we’ve discovered we can be together. How? I’ve discovered …

Technology.

Specifically, video calling. I hadn’t used it before now, but what a discovery! Not only was my family together for the recent holiday, all seventeen of us in three different states, but I’ve reconnected with family and friends whom I hadn’t seen in too long. My monthly cousins’ lunch has enlarged to include cousins from Florida and Virginia.

My book group now includes several past members who’d had to drop out because they moved away. Drinks with friends in North Carolina, dinner with friends in New Hampshire, wine and cheese with friends who live ten minutes away? It’s all good. Among other things, we share tips on ways to survive isolation. One I’ve discovered is …

Small Businesses.

Used to be, the instant I wanted certain things, I would log on to the mega-guy who offered free two-day delivery. Suddenly, thanks to the pandemic, delivery slowed and items were either back-ordered or out of stock. So I began exploring smaller vendors, some being the maker of the item – and found that many offered free delivery that, okay, took 3-4 days, but that’s fine.

I like supporting the little guy. Shame on me for not doing this before. So I’ve said on the phone many times now, leading to another discovery …

Walking With My Sister.

Self-isolation isn’t all fun and games. There are times when I’ve needed to vent about supermarket lines, government corruption, and, yes, even my husband hogging the red popsicles, leaving me nothing but orange. A sister offers the best ear for venting. She knows who you are and where you come from. She doesn’t judge. She is as unconditional in her love as anyone other than our mother, who is long gone. My sister and I used to talk once or twice a week. Now it’s every morning.

After working for a spell, I put on sneakers, plug in my air pods, and give her a call. As we talk, I walk in my basement and she in her house. The time is special. More, it’s therapeutic, not to mention that we walk longer than either of us would if alone.

Not so long ago, the time spent in this would have made me nervous. After all, I had to shower, eat breakfast, and return to work – because, seriously, I had a schedule to maintain.

In the last few weeks, though, I’ve had the pleasure to discover …

No Schedule.

The coronavirus has broken the momentum. Pre-COVID-19, I’d have worked through the morning, then taken a prescheduled mid-day break – perhaps like going to the dentist on Monday, to girlfriends’ lunch on Tuesday, to tennis on Wednesday, to the hair or nail shop on Thursday, to the supermarket on Friday, or some such.

Now that there’s no leaving home, time is fluid and, lo and behold, I’m liking the relaxed nature of that. I don’t miss running around. Yes, I’m looking forward to playing tennis or meeting a friend for lunch again, but I don’t want to go back to a rush of events so consuming that I lose some of the small things I’ve discovered, like …

Cantaloupe.

I mean, whole cantaloupe. As one who hates food preparation, I’ve always gravitated to precut melon. But I’m only going to the supermarket every other week now (another discovery there, having plenty of food with fewer visits), so I want something that lasts.

If I buy two big melons and leave them at room temp until they ripen, I have the sweetest fruit at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, I’m able to use up the more perishable fresh fruits, like berries, before cutting into the first of the melons, meaning that I have fresh fruit longer during that two-week span.

I still hate chopping. But if I listen to an audiobook while using my little melon baller, the time flies, and I get four fab desserts, which compensates for one last discovery …

My Roots.

Not the genealogy ones. The hair ones. And they’re white. White. Okay, so this is one discovery I can do without.

But the rest? Not bad at all.

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Connect with me on social media: Twitter, Facebook, my Street Team (click to join for fun, exclusive things I’m dreaming up), Pinterest, Instagram, and that’s it for now. I need time to write my books!

You can now order my newest release A Week At The Shore here!