W: Writing, Waking Up Anytime, What to Do Today?, What Day Is It?, Water, Work, Welcome Back

 

Writing, Waking Up Anytime, What to Do Today?, What Day Is It?, Water, Work, Welcome Back

One thing I had hoped to do more of when cooped up at home last year was writing. Unfortunately, I did not do as much as I had hoped, but did get one piece done. So far, no one has been able to read it. I miss our writers lab meeting and the virtual ones just weren't doing it for me. Now I don't know if they're still doing it. I tried emailing my piece to the leader, but did not heard anything. Once we got back to meeting at the center where I work, my creative writing class resumed every other week. Now that's some practicing. One of the reasons I chose to do the A to Z was as a way to practice writing. 

When the center was closed in March through May, I stopped setting my alarm, since I did not have to be anywhere at any time. I would then wake up whenever I wanted. Even then, however, I could not stay in bed all day and not get dressed. There were times I did not get dressed until 10AM or later, but that changed once I had to return to work at the center. Though only once at week at first, then twice, I had to get used to setting the alarm again. There  are still some days when I get up and am dressed between 9 and 10AM.

But before work started again, I not only had to decide when I wanted to get up but what I was going to do each day. I stuck mostly to reading, Internet surfing and doing laundry every other week, and going to the stores or post office when needed. Often I wanted to write or do art, I could not come up with any ideas. I was getting drained of creativity, likely from depression and exhaustion brought on the coronavirus.

Did any of you forget what day it was? I tried hard to not to. And I usually got it right. I had to remember when it was Thursday, since Friday is our garbage pickup day. And to remember when my favorite networks shows were on. Even so, I did get confused at times. I nearly forgot it was Memorial Day, as I tried to get my prescription at the Safeway pharmacy that day, then saw it was closed. A sign at the pharmacy said it would be closed for Memorial Day reminded me that it was that holiday then. Each month felt like a month of Sundays or like one long holiday.

Bottled water was one of the items people were said to be hoarding at the start of March. But unlike toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I cannot recall not being able to find 24-packs of water at the stores. Apparently, water-hoarding wasn't necessary. But thankfully we have a water jug holder at home, and even though the store was closed, the outside water vending machines were still open. We had to save quarters and nickels for the water machines.

In the middle of May, one day after I got out from a run to the bank, I found a voice mail from my boss about meeting at the center to discuss our gradual reopening. Our first meeting was on the last Wednesday in May for one hour. Then the fist week of June, we began our one-day-a week, two-hour work days. We then expanded to to days in September. We had to sit six feet part, of course, but it was great to be back. A welcome back message appeared on one of our walls, and is still there.

And over the past two weeks, kids began going back to school, though only for so many days and hours a week. I began seeing signs at the various school yards in town, which had been empty for a whole year.  Even though I have no kids, I live nearby some of the schools so I am used to seeing them walking to and from school. It was weird not to see this for a whole year. Signs welcoming the students back to campus have been appearing. 

 

But we still have to distance, and I await the day when that is over....

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Ending for today. Only three days left now.