Changes
Author Tony Trott
We are in week 8 of self-quarantining because previous medical conditions place us in the ‘increased risk’ category for Covid-19. So we are trying to find a ‘new normal’ routine these days. Part of our pre-Coronavirus routine involved watching the local and national 
news every evening and usually watching the local news again at 11 for possible breaking news, sports scores, or weather updates. During this pandemic though, watching that much news in one day can be quite dispiriting. We rarely picked up the telephone to talk to a loved one because of my lack of hearing but I’m trying to use a new translation tool by Google to make it easier on the phone and when people are talking on the computer.
The new normal is that in the morning during the week before work, we enjoy exchanging funny videos, tweets, and parody that we have each received from different sources. Our latte machine has become the biggest source of joy and we don’t know what we would do without it. We then start our day, figuring out the night before what the schedule is and our respective tasks. We try to limit the work day and instead of having the news on during dinner (which I know some people think is a bad thing regardless of what’s going on!), we actually talk to each other during the meal. Hopefully, we can keep that up when this is 
over. We do make watching Jeopardy a continued activity, and many times it is the point when we just breathe
and relax.
Of course, it is still important to watch some news, but we are getting more of our news from online sources (reputable ones) and we find that it’s a really good idea to limit one’s exposure to negative news. We all, at this point, could use some laughter and to find something uplifting. We mention, in the video in this Newsletter, some of the books we are currently reading or have recently finished. There are, of course, other forms of television to watch and plenty of movies to catch up on.
As far as television, we are both really enjoying watching Schitt’s Creek and I am finding time to binge Game of Thrones and re-watch Star Trek: Deep Space 9. It’s also enjoyable to watch a current show that you know is going to resolve problems in an hour or maybe a few weeks even if life doesn’t always work that way. We find enjoyment for that reason in watching
the Rookie on Sunday evening. OK, some plotlines may be kind of corny, but we need some of that these days.
Of course, there’s always Zooming with family and/or friends for a regular catch up, and meetings and happy hours. These virtual gatherings include many individuals that we would not “see” as frequently. And that’s a positive change! Also positive is that this is an opportunity for self-improvement and we are 
taking advantage of the myriad of lifelong learning practices through webinars/podcasts. This is something that we have always wanted to do, but never had time. And personally, getting together on a weekly basis with certain members of my family for a virtual Dungeons & Dragons game is a great stress reliever!
safe, healthy, and strong during this pandemic. We are lucky to have family, friends, and even strangers offering to help us by going to get what we need from the grocery store, medical supply offices, and other areas that have goods that we need.
What infuriates me are the people out and about without masks and/or in large groups. This is unacceptable and non-compliant. I’m sorry if you feel inconvenienced, I am sympathetic to the fact that you are lonely and want to be with your friends, but I’m surely not in agreement with your failure to wear a mask.
