Social Distancing and Memories

My how things have changed since my last post. I am working from home along with 100% of the team I supervise. This is new and it’s going well, but we miss being together in person. We knew it was coming and when we left work on our last day in the office, we packed up our desk plants and sent the team fish, Frank home with our temp worker. She will have her last day with us while we are still out of the office. So, I guess taking Frank home is in place of the usual pot luck send off. Except she doesn’t get to eat Frank! We will adjust to this new normal for as long as it needs to last. But I know that we all look forward to the day we can be in the office together again.

My husband and I are taking the Social Distancing very seriously and have self isolated. He still goes to work, but doesn’t come into contact with anyone and of course, I am working from home. We take the dogs for a walk and we have been to the local grocery store early in the morning, but no other interactions with people. We don’t want to get germs and we don’t want to spread them. During the week we keep busy with the normal work/home things. Work has been busy as we all adjust to the new restrictions and work situations, so we don’t really notice the difference on the weekdays.

We set up an evening Zoom meeting with family members just to see each others’ faces and hear each others’ voices. I think this will become more meaningful as the pandemic unfolds. I am thankful for the technology that allows this virtual socializing. When I think what it might have been like to live through the Flu Pandemic of 1918, I am thankful to be alive in this era. We have a good infrastructure that allows us to communicate often, within our circles and across the world. We are still getting mail and shipments of goods. Though it is a scary time, at least we can stay in touch with each other.

Last weekend was the second weekend we stayed completely home. We didn’t go anywhere other than taking the dogs for a walk. We did so many things at home and still seemed to have extra time on our hands. We both perused a fair amount of social media and I noticed differences in the posts of younger folks and older folks. While everyone is alternately complaining and enjoying the at home time, there seems to be a difference in how people perceive it.

People with kids are afraid to be at home with the whole family. They have probably never done this before. Boomers grew up this way. We ate home made meals together, did chores together and spent much of our social hours with our families putting puzzles together and playing board games. We may not have done these things in a while, but they are still familiar to us and we enjoy the slower pace.

The posts of my boomer friends are nostalgic. Pictures of home made meals and baked goods are trending along with images of Yahtzee and other board games. I made chocolate chip cookie bars and then realized I was not going to church or a potluck or having company. I put most of them in the freezer to avoid nibbling. Unfortunately, I found other things to nibble on. There are lots of pictures of grand kids and pets too.

So what are the younger folks posting? They’re posting the same things like food, games, pets, kids. They just approach it like it’s a novelty. It’s new for them to stay home after work and over the weekends. It’s hard for them to imagine that homes can entertain everyone.

It does kind of make me chuckle to see the mom of three kids in a 5 bedroom home with a huge backyard, computers, tablets, cable TV and a blow up bouncy house/jungle gym in her house wonder how she will ever keep these kids entertained. I wish I could show her what it was like in the 1980’s when I was home with two kids in a two bedroom apartment and no car. Somehow we kept busy without any of that stuff. She will figure it out and she will have great memories of this time.

I also love seeing all the Work From Home office set ups. Some are very professional, some are as simple as a computer on boxes next to the bed. Many come complete with pet co workers who are literally, well, pets. These co workers have no boundaries and very little office etiquette. Our dog growing up was one of the family. But he never went to work with Dad. This co worker situation is new and I like it. Though it does have it’s challenges.

So while we’re all doing the same things, some of us are recalling activities from the past and some of us are doing this stuff for the first time. Either way, we’re all making memories. No one I know is sick with Corona virus yet and all this commotion feels like an inconvenience. I hope all the social distancing really does flatten the curve of infected people. That is what we’re really needing to accomplish. I hope in the end, more people remember the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic as a time with families or time alone, reflecting on what’s important in life instead of who got sick, who had complications or died from this virus.

Stay home people – let’s stay healthy and make more memories.

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