Chaos Around Us Does Not Necessitate Chaos Within.

One would be hard pressed to imagine, last January, what 2020 and beyond would hold for all of us. A worldwide pandemic and domestic insurrection. And both inflicting confusion, uncertainty, and danger, and – paradoxically – boredom.

Is it any surprise that many of us have turned to alcohol to find respite and relief?

The surprise, probably, is that more of us haven’t done so.

In response to the predictable benefits of drinking (yes, there are benefits) there also comes a time when we can see these ebbing and the potential for escalating costs. As we look at the upcoming months, we may be able to discern a country moving back to a less fractured life and a more American one, as well as a disease being brought under control.

Those possibilities, hazy as they remain at the moment, may mean that it’s time to turn our personal stagnation, and the resulting boredom, into productivity. As Covid rages, along with anti-Americans, it’s really time to protect ourselves and those we care about in every way possible. I don’t know about you for sure, but I know I don’t want to be the last person to catch and/or die of Covid19. Let’s leave that to the anti-mask and anti-vaccine people

So said, what to do?

I am sure that I am not the only person who has had a lot of extra unplanned time which I’ve let dribble away. Half-finished book manuscripts; reduced exercise; unread books; unhoned cooking and baking skills; uncleaned attics, storage units, and garages; unexplored artistic endeavors. All of those accumulated some-day-when-I-get-the-time things.

Well, looks to me like we’ve probably burned up about half of those now-I-have-the-time days. Imagine that? Better hurry and do those thing you were always going to – possibly even address that drinking issue?

Dare!

If you’re having trouble figuring out what to do with yourself while awaiting your dose of the vaccine and a return to your old day-to-day life, might I make a few suggestions?

Look back over the past year and make a list of all of the things you usually would have done that you haven’t been able to. Then search deep inside and see how many of them you actually miss.

It’s not just an opportunity to clean out the garage, it’s a chance to declutter your life – eliminate the stuff you’ve always done just because you’ve always done it. Cull through 10,000 habits and see which ones can be put into your infamous “BEEN THERE/DONE THAT” bag. Or of the ones you dropped over the past 8 months, which can stay dropped.

On the other hand, what can you consider adding? Don’t know? Ask others in your circle of distanced contacts.

Examples?

A women’s book club, knowing I was a writer, dared me to write an erotic romance novel for women over 50. They had found 50 Shades silly, poorly written, and irrelevant. It took a while, but some of my Covid release time did get used to do exactly that.

The result? That remains to be seen when the club reconvenes and they can dissect both me and the book. I look forward to it.

What can you, or others, dare you to try in these last six months of The Return From Pandemic?

Drop me a note, let me know, and I’ll pass on any suggestions.