So now that we are in week 4 of social distancing in California, I figured now would be a good time to write about it. Four weeks ago, I was writing on Facebook about how it is ridiculous that we are not out of school if not for the safety of our students, then definitely for the safety and well being of our older staff as well as those of us who live with older folks.
At the time, opinions were all over the place – with some still comparing the virus to the flu, some thinking we did not need to be out of school, some thinking it was Dooms Day… it was actually pretty stressful if not annoying being on social media. I can’t really fault the nay-sayers, because I was amongst them initially. However, I also like to stay informed and constantly read and watch the news and I am very fortunate to have family who are the same, and will constantly update me. (Love you guys, by the way.) As it became more and more clear what a danger this virus was, I became increasingly more vocal about it.
… But let’s not lose focus. 🙂
Here we are in our fourth week, and not only has California shut down all schools for the remainder of the school year, but all non-essential jobs have been ordered to work from home or shut down entirely (my own included). The general consensus is that comparing this virus to the flu is silly. We as Californians are all (well, most of us are) practicing social distancing and limiting leaving the home. People are dying – Italy and China obviously were hit hard and most countries are on some form of lock down. The concept of “flattening the curve” is pretty well understood by most (keyword there is most, unfortunately). News is continually changing by the day, if not the hour.
… And people are still spreading old articles or false information on Facebook. Lol – that part I suppose will never change.
Notably it is Easter Sunday today, and I would like to share a few thoughts. I’d like to start with some things that made me sad. Don’t worry though, I will end with things that made me happy and thankful.
Sad list:
- School year ending abruptly – Being unable to properly end the year with my high school students, especially the freshmen and the seniors.
- All of my gyms closing – The gyms have become a big part of my life and I have made some great friends in my students. It immediately felt strange knowing that I wouldn’t be dancing around for 1-2 hours almost every day.
- Social Life – Not being able to see my immediate family and friends for gatherings and random visits.
Happy list:
- Online E-Learning – When things go south unexpectedly, it forces you to take leaps you didn’t think you would ever need to do because now we have no choice. Teachers being forced to stay home allowed us the opportunity to learn how to connect digitally to continue teaching whether through Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook/Youtube Live, 8×8, Twitch and whatever else. These formats enable me to connect with both my high school students as well as gym students.
- Social Media – Social media is definitely a double edged sword and there is as much bad as there is good there. However, for pandemic life – I say the good outweighs the bad. Imagine for a second if we were locked down the way we are now but in a pre-Facebook, pre high speed internet time and all non essential businesses like Blockbuster were forced to close – we’d be really bored and 10x lonelier. Thanks for social media we are allowed to engage with people and feel connected. I am happy being caught up to date with everyone in my network through the various social media platforms and also laughing at all the memes people come up with.
- Reconnecting with MYSELF – Something that I figured out very early into the social distancing order is that I was never home pre-pandemic. A typical Monday for me would be starting the day at 5:30AM, teach high school until 2PM, arrive home, take a nap, take care of Ouchii stuff, and then head to Crunch Fitness for 1 hour of Zumba and then change and get ready for the next 1 hour class at 24 Hour Fitness Crane.
My being a people person in all facets of my life including my 3 careers – I always put others’ needs before my own. Having my schedule suddenly cleared allowed me time to ask myself, “Hey, what do I want to do? Or what do I need to do for myself?” which is something I forgot is so important to do. I came up with the following:- Exercising – I am able to push my limits and try new exercises that I wouldn’t have to time to do before with the abundance of Zumba I was doing. More Les Mills Body Pump! More learning STRONG choreography. More body weight exercises! Of course learning some Zumba stuff as well.
- “Diet” – Having the time to cook and see what goes into my food and trying to track macros better is a lot easier when I’m not on the road driving all over town. I’ve made strides so much faster, and still eating like a whale.
- Decluttering – Reorganizing the apartment little by little and throwing out unneeded things. First thing up was turning my garage into a space that allows me to exercise and hang out in. (I’m typing this blog from there right now, as a matter of fact.) I cleaned up my desk upstairs and we cleared out our kitchen.
- Ouchii – Reconfiguring the business and planning the next stages.
- Wedding – Figuring out the logistics of how this wedding will happen on August 8 when we are on a tight schedule.
- Sleep – Catching up on sleep as much as possible.
- Upping my Social Media Game – I’ve spent a considerable amount of time learning different tools to promote my endeavors.
The pandemic is obviously a terrible thing, and I do not want to take away from the myriad of problems that faces our daily lives but in the spirit of Easter, I’ve found that taking a minute to think about everything that I am thankful for really does bring some clarity and peace of mind.
Happy Easter, friends and family!
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