Lockdown and All That Jazz

This is a departure from places, design and fashion so feel free to move along if you don't want to hear what I have to say. I don't talk about real life often. I mean this IS a blog about Second Life *wink*, but now and then I need to vent. And I don't need to vent about all that is going on in our lives; we know things are bad and while there are glimmers of hope on the horizon they are not all that close at hand. This is something different. 

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It has been eight months and fourteen days since I have left my house. 

Well, that may have been a show-stopper LOL.   And yes, I am doing fine.  We all deal with stress and circumstances in different ways. We all make choices. My choices may not be your choices. I definitely get that. 

At the same time I see folks -- both in the virtual community and in real life --- go on and on and on and ON about their deprivation.  Honestly, I want to shout "suck it up" but of course I do not.  

The current "freeze" for my state started Wednesday. It is for two weeks -- or NOT.  I am thinking most likely not.  And did I panic when I heard that new declaration? Nope. I went about with my life as it is and looked forward to the time when it could be more. 

Yes, my daily routine has changed. There are friends I haven't seen in all that time. One I only communicate with in email, another I talk to from time to time on the phone. I have had brief conversations across the fences with neighbors and with two groups of service folks fixing things that had to be repaired -- all of course within regulation and with alcohol mop-downs after their departures.  I have seen and visited with my surrogate kid twice. 

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I have one contact person in my New Zealand (woot New Zealand) bubble who is also in a bubble with one other person. So in effect I have two people more or less in that bubble.  My county is close to the top of the list in the "doing well despite" column.  My chances of getting sick are minimal. 

The bottom line is I am doing what I need to do not only to protect myself but to protect the people I care about. And that seems to be something that so many folks just do not get.  Do I want to get sick and die? Of course not. Do I want to cause someone else to get sick and die?  Even less. 

My virtual life is an escape of course --- for many of us it is. 

Things haven't changed much for me virtually over the last months. 

Well, I guess that statement isn't true.   I have been paying more attention to my blog. I was getting lazy -- many bloggers have been. Pretty picture, list of credits, press that publish key and move on.  That isn't enough for me any more. 

Back in the Day -- (have to laugh at that) we had so many bloggers doing so much with so very little. It was really impressive. There were no review copies. There were no events. There were only bloggers and their adventures.   I saluted them then and I salute them now.   We really do need to pay attention to our craft because it IS a craft.    

So, for me -- and only in some ways -- our current state of affairs has been a good experience. We LEARN from what we go through. We make changes based on our experiences and we grow accordingly.  We will never go back to our remembrance of "normal"; that is long gone. But I do hope to embrace the "new normal" when it comes around.   Until then I will do what I do and make the most of my time and the circumstances that I am given.