themillennialboomer

Class with a Digital Media Bawse by Sheri LeClair Banitt

I am so fortunate that I was chosen to take a free Digital Storytelling Workshop Series with Dr. Stacey Patton. She is also a Generosity Bawse and I am so appreciative of the help she is offering.

My blog site is already set up but I barely know how to use it, so I am looking forward to what I can learn. This is a super fun workshop and Stacey has shown 208 people how to set up a free site on WordPress and had us all write a first post including a fancy, dancy hyperlink.

I love the beginner friendly tone of instruction. We were on a Zoom call and could see each other as we worked through the steps. Stacey was very patient and took the time to stop and answer questions as well as share her screens to help work through troubles. She encouraged other participants to help each other and every question was answered with a sincere desire for success.

My daughter is visiting today and was sitting quietly while I took the workshop. She is a first grade teacher who has just gone through distance learning with 25 littles. As folks chimed in with questions, she chuckled periodically and said, “She has more patience than I do”. That’s a lot of patience, Stacey! You are truly a Bawse of many trades.

We learned how to embed a video and a gif.

We did it!

I am Changed by Sheri LeClair Banitt

On May 25, 2020 my Facebook news feed showed me the murder of a black man. Murdered by a white police officer while a crowd of people watched, including three other police officers. I watched. I watched again. I watched again. I could see he lost bladder control, I could hear his cries for mercy and his cries for his mama. I could see his body go limp. I could see a police officer, unmoved, in position, with a knee on his neck while the life drained out of him. I was shaken, I was sickened, I was upset. And I watched it again.

George Floyd, I am sorry for your arrest and brutal death. I am sorry this happened to you. You paid the ultimate price, but this happened to me too. In a different way, this happened to me. I will never be the same. I will never be silent when I see injustice. I will examine my privilege. I will speak up against evil. I will walk with a loving heart and a peaceful spirit. But I will fight for justice and I will listen and I will learn. I am changed.

C19 Quarantine Hobbies – #3 Weeding the Garden by Sheri LeClair Banitt

The best time to weed the garden is after it rains. So that is what I did today. With over cast skies and lots of optimism I headed to the flower garden to “clean it up a little.” Well that was an under statment. The garden is not very big but it sure holds a lot of creeping charlie and weeds and unwanted grass.

Too busy weedin’ to do any seedin’. Veggie garden will have to wait.

Had to stop before I finished because my hands are sore and my back is starting to talk to me. Gardening is the kind of thing you have to do more or less. The more you do it, the less you feel it; the aches and pains that is. Pretty sure by the end of the summer my back will hold out, but my patience may not.

C19 Quarantine Hobby Series- # 2 Making Ornaments by Sheri LeClair Banitt

My Vintage/Covid Hobby – Beaded orns like the ones I made with Grandma Dorothy in the 1970’s

Now that I am home most of the time, I have yearned to try new hobbies to keep my mind and spirit fresh and lively. Except the things I want to try really aren’t new at all. I’ve been dabbling in hobbies from my past.

Sometime in the 1970’s, my siblings and I stayed overnight at our Grandparent’s house. There were four of us and I’m sure they were motivated to keep up busy. One time, I remember making Christmas ornaments by sticking beads and sequins into styrofoam balls. I haven’t seen any of those ornaments in years; I wonder if my mom still has them.

As it turns out, you can purchase vintage ornament kits from Mary Maxim Online Catalog. I purchased a few and later ordered a few more. These are fun to make and can be done during a movie or two. https://www.marymaxim.com/

Another funsie was pulling out my vintage muffin tin to sort my beads. Folks, I got this as wedding shower gift in 1981. The ‘patina’ is genuine and now it is producing ornaments instead of muffins or dinner rolls.

Making the ornaments is relaxing and fun. You look at the color photo provided and the hand-drawn diagram for placing the ribbons, pins, beads, and sequins. I use a drop of glue on each pin to make sure it stays put.

If you have time, patience and a little extra cash, I recommend this hobby for your time at home. If you are a boomer like me, it will be nostalgic entertainment. If you are a millenial it will be old-fashioned fun.

C19 Quarantine Hobby Series-#1 Sewing Masks by Sheri LeClair Banitt

I have been truly uninspired over this last several weeks of theC19 Quarantine. Trying to deal with Work From Home while coaching a team of 10 who are also doing Work From Home for the first time has taken all of my energy. I had to drop out of otherwise fun activities like Toastmasters and book groups at work. Being at home makes it easy to put in 11 hours without a break. I am tired.

Just this week I started stepping away from my desk and taking an official break during the day. I am walking outside with my dogs over the lunch hour and sitting in my recliner for a 15 minute coffee break. It feels good. But during those moments, I miss the office. I miss the hubbub, the noise,the smiling faces. I love being home and I am very productive, but I just miss the connections with people and my old work habits.

I miss the ease of face to face discussions without having to type or Zoom. I am grateful for those options, but it just takes more planning and effort than a simple conversation with someone inside my 6 foot bubble.

When I’m not working, I’m still at home and there’s just so much TV watching and house clearning one can do. I have become quite crafty during the quarantine. I decided to chronicle the things I have made and how it felt to be making them.

Making the masks seemed fun at first. I couldn’t go shopping, so I dug through my old craft supplies and found some vintage fabric I saved from around 1987. To that I added the elastic hair ties leftover from raising my daughters. I found a pattern on my Chiropractor’s website and started cutting out masks. I cut out thirteen , thinking that would cover my family members that were close enough to pick them up.

I am not a sewer, so I had to relearn to thread the machine and wind the bobbin. The masks are easy to sew and I soon was churing out a mask in 20 minutes. I felt proud to get them made and it was kind of fun.

But then I had to start wearing the mask out in public. It was hot and fogged up my glasses. More than that, when I wear my mask I am reminded that this is a real situation and not just an inconvenience. I do not want to get the Coronavirus. I do not want others to get it. I want to do my part to limit the spread. I don’t feel overly anxious, but I have my moments when my thoughts go to, “What if…”. Then I try to remember I can do what I can and need to let tomorrow worry about itself.

Plastic Bag to Plastic Bag by Sheri LeClair Banitt

So, I am seriously concerned about our water creatures and how they are managing the massive amounts of plastic in our waterways. I think often about the dolphins and sea turtles and fish and birds who encounter plastic bags that end up in the ocean. I know they suffer from ingesting the plastic and from getting tangled up in them as they try to escape handles that won’t let go.

This is why I started using reusable cloth shopping bags more than 11 years ago. My friends and family know that I keep a stash of bags in my trunk, in my basement, in my closets and at work so I can easily, always, bring my own reusable bag. I hate plastic bags; I don’t want them. I will carry my groceries out in my arms before I will take a plastic bag.

But now, in the face of the Coronavirus, I am faced with a new, old dilemma. The problem of the plastic bag has invaded my consciousness again. To avoid spreading germs, stores will not allow personal cloth bags inside anymore. Shoot. I am only shopping once every two weeks, on payday. I have to wear a mask and practice social distancing when I go. And, to avoid extra time at the register, I am passively accepting the plastic bags the store gives out.

Oh how it bothers me to come home with so much waste, and dangerous waste at that. I just can’t bear the thought of the dolphins eating my bags and the turtles wrapped up in my bags just for my convenience.

I can’t throw these bags away and that’s it. I can’t. I won’t. So, I do what any good trouble shooter will do when faced with an undesireable situation. I find a way to keep the bags, and implement the KonMari method. Keeping the bags will bring me joy, but not if they are in a messy stash. So I think, think, think, until I know what to do. I can combine this mess with the newfound boredom of the quarantine and make something new and useful.

I have spent considerable time cutting the bags into strips, rolling them into balls and now I am crocheting them into reusable shopping bags! I may not be able to bring them into the stores until the CDC deems it safe, but until then I can fill them with all the things I need to carry around the house.

From throwaway shopping bag to reusable shopping bag, I’m just making the best of a covid situation.

To Dress or Not by Sheri LeClair Banitt

So many of us are working from home now and most of us are talking about it. There are humorous stories of kids and pets showing up in conference calls and Zoom meetings. There are stories of too much snacking and wearing slouchy clothes. I think the most interesting thing is all the women posting about keeping up their daily routes. I’m one of them.

In order to keep order in my chaotic world, I am sticking to my regular schedule. The alarm rings at 5 and I get dressed; hair, clothes, makeup, jewelry, spritz of perfume. Then I go downstairs, press the button on the coffee pot and feed all the hungry pets. I let them out but instead of packing my lunch, I turn on the news. When the coffee is done, I have my coffee in front of the TV. I eat my breakfast at home before I start work. It is nice to have a leisurely start. When it’s time to work, I let the dogs in and give them their milk bones. They are very confused about why they don’t have to go to their kennels, but they like it

Then I sit down to my home office desk and log in to work. Work feels the same once I’m logged in. I still have work to do, decisions to make and meetings to go to. I am very focused once I start working and it doesn’t matter to me whether I am in the office or at home. I like that my home office has lots of windows and sunlight. But I don’t really miss it when I’m in the office because I’m working and when I leave work there’s the long drive home in the daylight.

So after a long week of work from home, I still feel tired and worn out. I still look forward to the weekend even though I know I’m not going anywhere new. But, I will sleep until 6 or 7 and I won’t get dressed for my coffee. I will watch the news in my jammies and I won’t put on any makeup. I’ll get dressed eventually and comb my hair. But no makeup unless I go somewhere. So now I am starting to rethink that. Why do I only feel ready when I have my makeup on?

In all my years of working, I have only gone to the office twice without make up. I don’t remember the reason, but there was something. One time everyone asked me if I was sick. The other time, people asked if I was really tired. Well, that explains why I wear my make up. But do I need to? Can I be ready for work without it? Am I mentally and physically capable of working without makeup? Seem like silly questions. But I’m now quite ready to ditch the make up yet. Not wanting to be the one on Zoom who looks sick or tired. It’s vanity. For now, I’m keeping it. I’ll let you know if/when I change my mind.

Glasses by Sheri LeClair Banitt

These are the glasses I bought in the last two years, minus one pair of prescription sunglasses. They’re all multi-focal, in the $600 – $800 range. Why so many? Because, like any good Midwestern Lutheran, I flexed a lot of money to use up by the end of the year in case I got sick and needed it. I never got sick, didn’t need any dental work and had no meds to stock up on. So I used up my flex money on the glasses. They’re all kind of the same, but each a little different. Whatever. Next time I’m going to get some that are really different.

I can get the glasses because my employer offers good medical insurance with a flexible spending option to use for items not covered by insurance. The eye exams are covered, the glasses are not. I’m fortunate to be healthy and able to use those savings on the glasses.

I’m not flashy. I don’t need that many glasses. Wouldn’t it be great if people like me who flexed too much money and just needed to use it up could actually put it to some good? What if we could donate the unused money to people who need it for their medical expenses?

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.

Being Social at Work Boosts Health and Happiness – duh! What Should We Do When We’re All at Home? by Sheri LeClair Banit

Last Saturday and I spent the day cleaning my closet and dressers. It was a major purging event. Two thirds went to charity and the other third went in the garbage. It was a lot of work for a day off and I was feeling pretty accomplished at the end of the day. And tired. I do not love cleaning and it just made me tired. That’s when I sat down and started reading through all my social media feeds. The topic that kept coming up was about loneliness in the office and how it reduces productivity and causes absenteeism. One in particular said that while all ages are affected, Millenials and Generation- Z employees report feeling lonely at a rate of 50%. That is too many people feeling lonely. Especially when we’re all in the office together.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwingard/2020/02/14/loneliness-is-crippling-workplace-productivity-heres-the-leadership-prescription/#4a7defa08f6f

The article reinforces the idea that humans are social beings and need the face to face interaction that is often missing from electronic communication. It recommends creating real life connections in the workplace such as community break rooms and social groups. My employer has done a great job of creating a culture of inclusion and social support.

This is one of the many reasons I love going to the office. I have a comfortable work space with colleagues close enough to talk with and tools that make remote communication possible. I can belong to any of numerous clubs and organizations. I go to Toast Masters on Thursdays and LOMA Society events when available. There is a crafters group that meets over lunch where we knit, crochet, scrap book, or whatever in our beautiful cafeteria with comfortable couches next to a faux, roaring fire in the fireplace. I work with great intensity and efficiency because I love what I do and I love where I do it.

Fast forward one week and now we have the Covid -19 National Emergency. Some of us were social distancing outside of work last week ‘just to be safe’. Now we are social distancing more and more because public places and events are shutting down. Schools are closing and workplaces are having associates work remotely from home. I am in favor of these safety precautions. I want to slow down this virus and prevent the chaos that comes with massive illness.

I am very fortunate to have a job that can be done on my computer from home and an employer with the resources and foresight to encourage it. Next week my team will be working from home to help prevent the spread of the corona virus. While I do have concerns over the economy and my retirement nest egg, my first challenge is how to manage the daily work from home routine. My team is smart, engaged and very creative so I have no doubt we will be productive while away from the office. We will work together and stay connected on our mission and progress. We can talk over email, Skype messaging and conduct meetings over Zoom for some face to face time. I feel like we’ve got it covered for our work time. But what about the rest of our time when we’re not working?

This is no time to panic and stockpile food and supplies beyond 30 days. This is the time to be smart, care about our fellow man and lessen the impact of this disease. I have seen many postings on Facebook where individuals and businesses have offered to help feed children who will not get the school lunches they depend on as well as people offering to help elderly folks and shut ins with shopping. I like this kind of thinking and hope we see more of it. Each of us should do good as we are able. This is how we help ourselves. This is how we build community. This is how we end the loneliness.