Everything is Canceled: Quarantine Edition

What a time to be alive, am I right? The world has been in and out of a global shutdown. Thousands of people are applying for unemployment, essential workers are sacrificing their lives everyday to keep everyone safe and happy, others are working from home. There are no more sports, concerts, bars, sit-down restaurants, group hangouts, or even going outside. Who knew that a person eating a bat would put an end to the everyday life we take for granted.

I have been officially been in a stay at home order for the last two months. Basically this means I only go out for necessary items such as the grocery. For a time the grocery stores were bare, which put a panic into many people's minds and honestly mine a little bit. There was no more pasta, if you know me then you know this is a serious deal! (There were many other things that were empty but pasta was a huge one for me). However, doing what you think would be easy tasks has completely changed. Now when I go in public I wear a mask and gloves. I also use hand sanitizer and lysol every time I come back to my car to ensure I have not come into contact with someone who has the Coronavirus. When walking around people are trying to keep a six feet distance from one another. Whenever I run into someone I know, my immediate response use to be to give them a hug, but now I have to just wave and move on.

I have been doing a lot of back and forth between Kentucky and Tennessee. Kentucky's governor, Andy Beshear, was on top of the virus and I could see that he was more quick to make decisions to keep the Kentucky people safe. Tennessee was a little behind and very quick to open back up. Davidson County otherwise known as Nashville, coronavirus cases are rising by the day. In the beginning people believed that the virus was not going to reach the states and if it did they were hesitant to believe it would arrive here. Then as cases started sky rocketing in New York, and they learned the signs and symptoms, as well as, how to diagnose if someone has it or not they started to take it more seriously. I think one of the funny things I heard around was some people believed that this was just a stunt democrats were pulling to ensure that Trump would not be re-elected. It is amusing to hear all the different rumors as to why the disease came about, but at the end of the day it is effecting hundreds upon hundreds of Americans. This does make me a little nervous to see what is in store for Nashville, as we start to open back up.

During this time, I was fortunate enough to work from home starting mid-march. I can honestly say working from home has reduced my stress compared to when I have to go in for work. I feel like I get more accomplished working from home. I know studies are out there that people are less efficient when they are in the comfort of their own home, but I think it is the complete opposite for me. I actually feel like I have a work life balance, which I find to be extremely important in one's life. I plan my day either the night before or in the morning. I make all my work calls midmorning, so I have majority of my work done for the day. Then for lunch I have enough time to go for an afternoon stroll around the Parthenon and check on all the babies that are hatching (I will discuss this is another post). After my walk I usually feel very relieved and relaxed, and finish the remainder of my "break" with lunch. I have saved a lot of money, time, and stress from working from home. Thank goodness!! I just hope this shows a lot of companies that we can do a lot by email, virtual meetings, and working from home can also bring the same results if not better. Really hoping, that I can start to work from home if you can't tell...wishful thinking.

I know a lot of people are going stir crazy right now and find it interesting that an extrovert like myself is actually loving this quarantine. I will say I do miss seeing my friends, going to brunch, and all the other fun things I use to do, but I have gotten to take a lot of time for myself and actually be thankful for all the things I did take for granted. I mean seriously I have a whole new appreciation for walking outside and understand why dogs are so excited to go for walks, because they are cooped up all day in the house. I know my little puppy, Max, absolutely loves it. I am lucky that I was able to see my family almost every other weekend, because I know a lot of people that do not get to see theirs and that is truly heartbreaking. It may be that I am somewhat socializing with my parents that has not made me feel like I am trapped in one place. Don't tell them that though, it may go to their heads that I see them as more than just parents.

Well, these unforeseen circumstances have completely thrown my world upside down, but I can honestly say I am loving every second of it. I will never take the outdoors for granted again. Now don't get me wrong I still do not like camping,

I am just saying breathing in the fresh air is something I will never be unthankful for. Hope y'all are staying healthy and safe out there.

XOXO

Madison Lee