i found out a few weeks ago that i won’t be able to travel back to north america this summer. it is probably not a surprise to any of you, but it was still disappointing. there are currently no international flights into thailand, and very few out. since i only get about 5 weeks off for summer, and any travel would include two weeks of quarantine on either end, it isn’t feasible. plus, since we don’t know when international flights back into thailand will begin again, leaving puts me at risk for not being able to be back for work.
this is the first time i won’t be in canada, for at least a short visit, over the summer. i won’t get to see my people, spend lazy days at the cottage, or get quality time with all the children in my life. instead, it will be a summer filled with a sea of zooms and waking up in the same bed. fingers crossed that domestic travel in thailand will open again by mid-june, and i’ll be able to go explore a bit. the change of scenery would be good for my spirits. i don’t mind having to stay in thailand, but i am starting to go a bit stir crazy in this apartment.
we just finished week 11 of virtual school, and we have had more than two months of quarantine. my work days are long; but i do have limited time on evenings and weekends, and i didn’t want that time to slip away. as a list-lover with high productivity needs, i turned to projects.
since there was so much i couldn’t do; i wanted to focus on what i could do. i wanted projects that felt satisfying, enjoyable and fun. in a world of extreme emotions, isn’t a bit of satisfaction just pure bliss? i also thought about things that i had been putting off: if i didn’t do these projects now, when i have time, then likely they don’t matter all that much to me, and i should probably stop wanting to do them.
for those of you that aren’t into projects, tasks or lists, absolutely no judgement! quarantine is all about you doing you. here are a few highlights from mine.
there’s no better time to….
use the cookbooks i own: i’ve pulled out the classics like the enchanted broccoli forest. i’ve read about the science of scrambling eggs and grilling salmon in the food lab. i’ve dog eared more pages that i can count in cookie and kate’s love real food and minimalist baker’s everyday cooking. with so many recipes online, i had forgotten about the cookbooks i own, and i have a great collection. dinners have been yummy at casa crayola!
use up the most bizarre items in my pantry: close friends know that i don’t like to waste food, and i find it immensely satisfying to figure out how to use all the random ingredients in my fridge and pantry. i made a vegan cheesecake because i had a block of cacao butter that i had bought in bali years ago. i researched new smoothie combinations to use the amla berry powder i had in the fridge. and i made one of my favorite condiments because i had some malt vinegar. using bizarre ingredients leads to random and spontaneous meals, and i love that.
clean my jewelry: in stressful times, i’ve noticed that i like repetitive activities involving my hands. scrapbooking, washing dishes, chopping vegetables. another satisfying task to add to your list is cleaning your jewelry. i ordered one of those magic silver cleaning cloths, turned on an audio book, and got to work. now, my jewelry is shiny and as good as new, and i want to wear it! there is nothing like a pair of bold earrings to really make a girl feel human again.
master the poached egg: the poached egg has eluded me for decades. i cannot confirm that i have truly mastered the poached egg, but i have taken great leaps forward. i have turned to the experts and learned fresh eggs matter, vinegar isn’t necessary, and the boiling temperature doesn’t have to be as hot as you think. when quarantine is over, and you can visit me in thailand, and it will be a breakfast potluck at my place!
pick up the exercise bands i bought 15 years ago: at two points in my life, and i have no recollection of when or why, i purchased exercise bands. likely, it was with the best of intentions for sculpting my way to the perfect body in the comfort of my own home. ha. my gym went online and started offering classes live on zoom. with that, i found the exercise bands, dusted them off, and learned how amazing they truly are! you should try it too.
finish my cancer scrapbook: last week was two years since my stage 3 diagnosis. i will write about what that has brought up for me in another post. during the year and a half that i was in treatment, people sent me so many notes, cards and emails. as a lover of the written word, these meant so much to me. i can still quote certain lines and phrases from particularly meaningful ones. i was not able to respond to them at the time, but they truly got me through. and, i saved every single one. i consider them love notes, and i wanted to save them in a scrapbook; that way, if i ever feel lonely or sad, i can remember how many people love and support me. it isn’t a fancy scrapbook, but it is done. a beautiful collage of love notes during an impossible time. living proof of my global network that got me through.
try a free trial (and remember to cancel)!: when quarantine started, many businesses were giving away free subscriptions. i took advantage of several: i tried out learning more about genealogy with a subscription to ancestry, watched a few HBO shows with a crave trial, and gave lots of free workout apps a try including daily burn for hiit and down dog for yoga. ultimately, i have learned that i don’t actually like working out to pre-recorded videos, and i much prefer live zoom classes. i have also learned that i don’t have time to research my family tree, and that my crave subscription was basically going to waste given how much TV i don’t watch! however, the free trials were fun, and gave me a taste of what is out there. just remember to cancel before you start paying!
talk on the phone: zoom fatigue is real. it gets exhausting staring at your own face all day and being ‘on’ all the time. there’s never been a better time to rediscover the good old fashioned phone call to connect. especially when it is hands-free, with headphones. you can lie on your bed like you did when you were a teenager, or you can multitask… you can even wear your bathrobe. there are no rules! and, i promise, phone calls with people you love will make you feel grounded and even giddy. all that is missing is a phone cord to twist like in the mid-90s.
learn a new tech tool: during virtual school, our elementary school admin team has been making weekly videos to connect with our community. i’ve taken bit of the lead on editing them and kept having visions for creative shots and edits we could try. i had always used iMovie for editing projects; but over the last few weeks i’ve spent a number of hours learning how to edit movies using the program filmora. when editing, i definitely get into this state of flow, where i don’t notice the hours going by. it is fun to have a vision, and then work hard to try to bring it to fruition, with the pressure of quick turn around and a deadline.
clean out that drawer: for the first weeks of quarantine, i cleaned out a different part of my house every day as a break from screens. every drawer, closet, shelf and bag has been organized. it was a bit of a spring cleaning, as i got rid of a lot. i don’t have a huge apartment, so after a few weeks, i ran out of space to organize. my next space to tackle is my inbox, but at 9000 emails, that feels a bit daunting! perhaps a summer project?
watch nostalgic movies: during hard times, i crave nostalgia. the yearning and longing for happy times is often satiated for me through movies. movies were a big part of my childhood, and i connect so many of them to my hopelessly romantic teenage years, or those movies my brother and i watched on repeat on saturday mornings before my parents woke up. so far, i’ve watched shawshank redemption, the gwyneth paltrow version of emma, groundhog day, and clueless. on my list to watch are the sandlot, free willy, usual suspects, and shakespeare in love. in particular, given the circumstances, i recommend watching groundhog day… it mostly stands the test of time, and is quite charming. happiness is just a few dollars to rent a movie!
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i recognize that my situation is unique. i don’t have children, or a partner, and work fills up the bulk of my week. it seems like this whole situation has been so extreme: people are either working harder than they have ever worked, or they aren’t doing anything at all. i am envious of people who have been able to get quality time with their children, but i also recognize that there is no relief for them. i also have moments where i am envious of people who have all the time in the world, and are immersing themselves in their creative pursuits or binge-watching tv shows. yet, i am keenly aware that that situation is also less than ideal. attention to our mental health and wellbeing are so vital right now, and for each of us, that is going to look different. for me, i need connection (which i get mostly on zoom), purpose (which i get through work and my projects) and self-care (sleep, movement & eating well). loneliness was already an epidemic in our world pre-pandemic, and the challenges for single people are particularly magnified when the cure for our crisis is isolation.
i would love to hear how you are coping, and if you have been able to pursue any particularly satisfying projects. i love getting new ideas, especially with a 5 week break coming up!
there’s no better time to stay in touch with the people we love. we need each other now, more than ever.
sending love.
*a view of magnetawan, the little town where my cottage is located. this will be my first summer in 37 years without being able to read a book on the dock, swim in ahmic lake, or drive down the bumpy road. it is my most favorite place in the whole world, and i would do anything to snap my fingers and be there.
