Staying Sane During This Pandemic

Whew! It has been a very long and very intense 12 months. In addition to all of the issues of limited mobility, inherent and implicit, we have had to try to manage the stress of dealing with COVID-19, racial injustice, the mayhem surrounding elections, and a boat load of other issues.

So what do you do? How do you cope? How do you stay sane?

You can do all kinds of things. And if you cannot think of anything on your own there are tons of resources to help you figure out what you can do or how you can get help if you are bored or depressed while in quarantine. You can do or learn crafts, DIY projects, cleaning, organizing, re-organizing, and even re-organizing the things you re-organized already. LOL You can embark on a self-help project, try out some new recipes, or learn a new skill or even a new language or musical instrument. There really are a multitude of things you can do to survive this pandemic.

After I calmed down from the initial shock, confusion, and the lack of control I felt in the early months of 2020 I discovered 3 things that helped me get through the last 6 months of 2020. Oddly enough they were all technology-based. I guess there were not many other choices since we had to be socially distant from . . . well, from everyone.

1. The first thing I did was to buy a #laptop.

I hadn’t had one in a really long time. It was something that I knew I would have to

do sooner rather than later because of the COVID-19 fueled Zoom explosion. Additionally, my 8 year-old desktop doesn’t have a microphone or a camera and it is

headed, slowly but surely, toward hospice care.

In the interest of transparency the reason I have not had a lap in a while is because I am clumsy . . . always have been . . . and about 20 years ago I fed my laptop a bowl of Cheerios and bananas. At the time a good friend suggested I get a desktop. He said that way if I spilled something on the keyboard all I would have to do was to replace the keyboard and not the whole computer. That has worked for me . . . until now. Now for a lot of reasons a laptop just seems a more practical choice than a desktop.

As nerdly as it is, I must say that I really enjoyed computer shopping. I liked getting caught up on the current specs and types of computers on the market and then comparing and contrasting the options.

2. The second thing I did was to buy an e-reader.

OK, OK, it is a #Kindle, but just to make my niece crazy I refuse to call it that so I am going to refer to it as an e-reader throughout this post. For several years she and I have had a running debate about print books vs. electronic books and which are “real” books. Of course I am on the side of old school print books. I love the look, feel, smell, texture, history . . . everything about a print book. And of course she loves everything about an e-reader. Stalemate.

I will always prefer a print book. Period. However, I cannot deny the convenience, economy and ease of use of the K-word. LOL I don’t think there is a better combination for reading than a library card and an e-reader. I have read about 50 books in the last 5 months. I love it! Shhhh. Don’t tell her. Haha.

3. The third thing is that I started watching videos . . . short videos . . . online.

I am usually not a fan of online videos unless it is someone I know or I am trying to learn something specific. When it comes to online videos my attention span is about 5 minutes and sometimes that is stretching it. However, during this pandemic I have found a few that I enjoy. Some of my favorites are listed below.

#RollWithCole&Charisma

I stumbled onto the Roll with Cole & Charisma videos through one of my nieces and I

really got caught up in them. #RollwithCole&Charisma videos are about an inter-abled

couple. The videos are interesting because they cover a lot of common topics and

topics that struck a chord with me in a very entertaining and educational way. Their

closing mantra is #StayPositive and I really love that philosophy because living the

limited mobility life can get really depressing. Check ‘em out!

#TheKabsFamily videos, specifically those of Maliyah.

Videos of this little girl singing are just . . . uplifting. I love them. I cannot help but smile when I watch them. My descriptions cannot do her videos justice so I am just gonna leave some links here. J Her dad’s reactions are priceless. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=d-BA7oJ35j0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4cUQMEBNE&t=18s

https://kzclip.com/video/RXGUC1kq-sc/3-year-old-singing-80s-classics.html

A few others that I have found myself watching are:

David A. Arnold - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xeqyIap-ec

Gerry Brooks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw8c3Hem1bU

Tabitha Brown - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RcKSEIMH1k

I am sure that there are tons of other ways to stave off the boredom and depression of this pandemic. Let's help each other get through it. Please share your ideas with your family, friends and co-workers.

And finally, although it seems like we might be approaching the homestretch we are not there yet.

Stay safe!

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. (Charles Darwin)

Note: The handsome fellow in this photo is Colt, my 30-something year old niece's constant companion. :)