Life as we once knew it has changed dramatically. It seems as though planet Earth has tilted on its access and I am anxiously searching for a foothold or a sturdy tree to grab onto before I slide into the Black Hole.

I know – I’m being slightly melodramatic but I really seem to be floundering. I’ve always welcomed “Change” but this one I have no control over and certainly wasn’t anticipating – evidenced by the fact I have only one small shelf of toilet paper and paper towels and no wipes.

BC – Before Corona – my day was loosely structured. Dogs wake me up at 7ish. Walk dogs as sun is rising. Come home for coffee and email. Feed dogs and self. Walk dogs. Meet friend for breakfast or lunch. Run errands – groceries, cleaners, shoe shopping. Walk dogs. Household chores – bills, laundry, dishes, plants. Walk dogs. Meet friends for happy hour/dinner. Walk dogs. Watch TV. Walk dogs. Go to bed. Repeat. Woven in there on a normal day would be an art class or class from the Renaissance Academy (adult learning), a movie before/after dinner, an art fair or concert in the park, boat ride and lunch with friends, afternoon shopping in Naples, trip to the beach, dinner party with friends, day trip to Sarasota or the Everglades or a psychic weekend or…..

My Life Has Gone to The Dogs

The dogs still anchor my day. The rest of the calendar listings have been deleted. My social life has been deleted, replaced with “Social Distancing” and isolation. Unfortunately, I don’t have the Clean Gene that many of my friends are blessed with. I really don’t look forward to cleaning those closets or organizing my files or even emptying the dishwasher. But the distractions that could typically lure me away from daily chores, have been wiped away like the dirt and germs being blasted with cartons of sanitizing wipes.

So now I’m struggling to establish a new rhythm in my life. Sophie and Bodhi (my four-legged kids) will always provide my anchor. The rest of the day is the proverbial Blank Slate with distressing limitations. No friends (socially distant only). No restaurants. No shopping, etc. etc. etc. A few gal pals have set an early afternoon pool workout session to keep our bodies in motion. There are some impromptu cocktail hour gatherings popping up poolside – proper distancing of course and no more than 10 at any time.

119 Hours

One week equals 168 hours. Take out 49 hours for an average of 7 hours of sleep a night and I have 119 waking hours/week to celebrate life in a meaningful way and accomplish the many projects on my lifelong To Do list. (They’re lifelong because I have been working on these for most of my life. Not related to my Bucket List in any way.).

On Monday, I promised I was going to attack my To Do list and would report my progress. Progress is slow. My greatest achievement has been a Spa Day for Sophie and Bodhi. They actually enjoyed it and Sophie, who does not like to get her feet wet when it rains, did not attempt to climb out of the laundry tub. She did, however, immediately roll in the grass when we went walking. Those earthy smells seem to be preferred to the Oatmeal Flea & Tick shampoo. Bodhi loves the massage!

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My friends seem to be adjusting or at least, are making greater progress than I am. There’s a lot of walking in the woods and/or neighborhoods. Dale has started sorting through photos long-forgotten in albums, boxes, her phone and computer. Anne is alarmed by this since she has 34 albums to sort through plus the phone etc. Speaking of alarm, Kay set her alarm – the first time in 15 days – to get to Target in time for the old people shopping. That’s another story for another day. With Kay’s approval, I’ll share it later.

We’re all adjusting as the world spins seemingly out of control. If we can’t be in physical touch with our besties, we’ll have to connect virtually. For now, girl talk will have to be in Cyberspace whether it’s texting, emails, Facebook, YouTube, or here at www.58andholding.com

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Share your story of your new rhythm of life. What are you doing to make your day fun, fulfilling, or full? I promise to make sure all comments are posted – unless they are X-rated and even those might be helpful.