A lockdown writing prompt
Self Discovery
Ruminations from my little time-out corner
So, Kevin Buddaeus tagged me in this writing prompt that originated from Keno Ogbo asking a series of questions regarding the current lockdown, sheltering in place, stay at home order, hunkering down, social distancing or whatever-may-have-you going on where I live.
I am generally not an “answer a series of questions” type person, but what the heck. I feel like there is certain irony in the fact that many people are having to actively search for things to keep them occupied. Why not answer the questions that are put in front of us, right? ;-)
- What have you missed the most during lockdown? Routine; specifically, yoga 3 or 4 days a week and indoor soccer on Sundays. Oh, and watching the Seattle Sounders FC play soccer. Please let’s not let this get to the point where we have to miss any Seahawk games. That would be quite difficult to bear.
2. What’s the best thing about being in lockdown? I guess if there is a bright spot it is that it really hasn’t had a significant acute financial impact on us. My wife’s job is essential, and I already was not working outside the home by design. So, while our vacation rental is sitting idle and our investment accounts are floundering, I am fairly certain we will recover in due time. We consider ourselves to be quite fortunate to not be weathering a huge financial hit like so many are.
3. What has been the worst thing about being in lockdown? Did I mention the no soccer being played or watched part?
But more seriously, we miss visiting with our parents. We have staged some strategic social distancing visits with our kids, but don’t want to necessarily do that with our parents who fall into a higher risk category. Ordinarily we would have had several family events during this time, so missing those are a low point for sure.
4. Who would you have liked to host in your home during the lockdown and why? An adorable, fluffy, waggy-tailed puppy! I actually just wrote yesterday about how I am not able to get my surrogate ear rubbing fix by petting the neighborhood dogs like before.
If I had any precognition of events we might have considered fostering or hosting a pet during this time.
5. What have you discovered about yourself in lockdown? That I can adapt to alternate routines, but I don’t like it much. I am impatient for things to get to something that closer resembles what I consider normal, but I could probably maintain status quo for a long time if needed. (Just don’t want to.)
6. What did you eat (or drink) the most during the lockdown? Well, we already used Hello Fresh for meal kit delivery two nights a week and got some groceries delivered from our local dairy distributor (they do more than dairy). So, diet hasn’t changed too much. Fortunately, our favorite Mexican restaurant has a drive through window, so we keep up our weekly visits there — but now take it home to eat.
I would say that we have increased our restaurant take out or delivery quite a bit rather than filling in the existing gaps with grocery runs. But that is a conscious decision in part to support small local businesses. I know it has to be tough for them.
7. Apart from sleeping and working what activities did you undertake the most during the lockdown? Daily walks, a little bit of yard work now that the weather is better. But also, a fair amount of binged television.
8. Will you come out of lockdown heavier or lighter? About the same, but I had been losing some weight and definitely gaining strength with the yoga. So, I would say a net negative fitness impact unfortunately.
9. What resource has helped you most during the lockdown? Well, the power went out yesterday morning because of a critter getting into some power lines and knocking out our neighborhood. I had a slight panic attack when I realized how much of my day circulates around tech and the internet currently.
10. What is your top tip for other people in lockdown right now? Find those one or two things that anchor you currently and make those a non-negotiable priority. For me it is daily walks and set times for my wife and I to tune out the world and simply do something mindless. Everybody will have their own little thing whether it is doing a home workout or sitting in silence on your deck and watching the sunrise (or set). Hold on dearly to those.
11. How has lockdown changed you? I have been a lot more focused on writing lately, but I am not sure that is lockdown specific as much as just the way things have timed out for me. So far, I don’t think there has a been a fundamental change. However, I feel that the canine withdrawal syndrome and the inability to travel to fun places is likely taking an insidious toll; I just haven’t manifested obvious outward symptoms yet.
12. If you were to leave a ‘message in a bottle’ for the future, what would you say? Don’t be afraid to sell some stocks when the market is set to take an obvious downturn. Cash isn’t a bad position; especially if you are looking for access to those funds in a time span of less than 10 years.
And more generic advice; save money aggressively or live austerely enough (or likely a combination of the two) that you can travel extensively. You never know when you are going to be “put on restriction”.
One last question, where are you? We are in the City of Everett which is about 25 miles north of Seattle in the State of Washington on the west coast of the United States. We live about 5 houses down from this great view of Puget Sound and the Everett Navy Base.
As is customary with these sorts of things, I want to nod to prior participants Salam Khan, Dipti Pande, Selma, Ann K Frailey, Muhammad Zunair, and Zsanyla Cabansag and then pass on the challenge to some new writers in Illumination. These people have recently joined Illumination and have less that 200 followers, so this might be a good way for us all to get to know one another.
If you please Jean Shortall-Roznik, Yamin Ohmar, Russell Weigandt, Phil Truman, and Kathleen Hamilton we would love to hear from you. No pressure at all though!
Rumor even has it that Dr Mehmet Yildiz might join in?
All, please tag me in your responses. Namaste!
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Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.
