One month in Self-Isolation
It has been one month, 31 days since my last face to face workshop. 31 days since my last ride on the subway. 31 days since I met a friend or family member in person. 31 days since the world changed dramatically.
At first, it was easy to look at this time as an opportunity to catch up on things around the house. Cleaning out closets, getting rid of broken and unnecessary junk, even dusting the shelves. I used the opportunity to create a studio/office in my college aged son’s bedroom to have a place to paint. I removed the air conditioner to have access to an open window, set up my easel and oil paints and spent one glorious week painting at any hour of day or night.
After one week of intermittent sleeping and eating patterns, I realized that freedom comes with more than endless choices about what to do minute by minute. I set up a time to go to bed and a time to wake up. I started my meditation practice again and meditate (most) mornings. I have dinner with my husband. I think of 3 things to accomplish each day, whether going to the grocery store, doing laundry, or taking advantage of some of the online resources available. I set aside some time for creative activity, for taking walks, for reading. I created a routine that works for me.
When I realized I would not be able to see my family for birthdays or holiday celebrations, I turned to the resources that were available to me. I reached out to my older relatives and showed them how to access Facetime and Zoom on their computers or iPads. I set up virtual birthday calls, arranged for a Zoom seder and set up dates with friends online. Joining Zoom webinars also emphasized the fact that “we are alone, together.”
Not everyone is in a position to sit tight and ride this thing out without the worries of bills and responsibilities outside the home. If you are lucky enough to have food in your fridge, a warm bed and a peaceful home, you have a lot to be grateful for. Stop and think about it. Learn to slow down. Here in NYC, slowing down is a luxury that not everyone gets to do often enough. Listen to the sounds outside your window. What replaces the traffic sounds? Can you hear birds?
No one knows how long this period of social isolation will last. It will not last forever. With so many questions and uncertainties about the future, it is natural to feel some anxiety. So much is unknown. This offers the perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness, which is simply living fully in the present moment. Stop. Pause, Reflect, breath deeply, let others know you are here. Allow love to guide you through your day.
Together, we will come through this. Wouldn’t it be great if we come through better, stronger and more cognizant of the beautiful world we live in? What would we like to keep from this time and what can we do to make things better for ourselves and everyone? Politically, environmentally, socially, personally?
Time is a luxury. We all have time to think. Choose your thoughts wisely. The reality of tomorrow will reflect the way we choose to face today.