Yesterday I went to my first NFL football game. Since I’ve learned you cannot bring a purse into a game unless it’s clear plastic, I decided to wear leggings with deep pockets for what I believed were my essentials: my cell phone with the digital ticket, my driver’s license, my vaccination card, a debit card and an N-95 mask.
I was surprised to find out that I didn’t need anything but the digital ticket. I saw only two people wearing masks in our section. Maybe in other areas of the stadium it was different? Walking in from the parking lot, I saw nobody wearing a mask. I ended up using my mask as a napkin, because my husband bought us hot dogs and fries and of course forgot napkins.
It was exciting to watch live football, but it was also overwhelming to be in a crowd. I haven’t been in one since it seems a lifetime — but in reality it was pre COVID. I was exhausted by the time we got home — but also thrilled to have the experience. What a contrast to March 2020 — plus the stark difference between Arizona and California, where I lived in 2020. I decided to look back on what I was feeling when we first found out about COVID and sheltered in place to flatten the curve.
Here’s a look back on my post about DAY ONE of the three-week shut-down to flatten the curve:
I was pretty shaken up yesterday, but I’m pleased to report that I’m doing better today. I got my full walk around the park and neighborhood before the rain started. I saw a favorite neighbor and we chatted while standing six feet apart. He said, “We’ll get through this.”
I was assigned a couple magazine stories by an editor and I think that helped me the most. I have a tight deadline and had to get busy. That kept me from turning on the news, watching the DOW, and reading all the headlines on the web rather than writing.
Life is pretty much the same for me as it is most days. I walk and then work from home. It’s nice to know my daughter is in the guest room working from home, too, right down the hall. My son is in the Bay Area and he’s under the same orders to shelter in place but they started before us. He’s calling everyday to let me know he’s okay. I really appreciate that.
We will get through this. We have so many uncertainties ahead of us. That’s what gets me anxious. I try to think through all the possibilities of what COULD happen and it gets me scared. It’s much better to stay busy at home while we are “sheltering in place.”
What are your memories about the first day of shelter in place? How did you prepare, who were you with and did you think it would go on longer than three weeks?
We bought some extra food. I was not happy. Not even a little bit
It was such a surreal feeling.
Nightmare
I had already come home from work when my boss called and asked if I still had a company issued laptop. I did. She said that meant that I was one they needed to ask not to come in but to work from home. For how long? I asked. Unsure she said. At least a couple of weeks. I was ECSTATIC! Not put make-up on? Work in my PJs? For 2 weeks? I felt like I’d won the lottery! Winter melted into Spring, which blossomed into Summer… I was still home, working in casual clothes (not usually pajamas) and I still liked it. Most of what transpired during that time was a bummer. Some of it was tragic. But at least I had that one aspect of it for which I was truly grateful. I’m still working from home 2 days a week. (Also, I’m excited to move to AZ. I think they have a much more level-headed approach to everything, from what I’ve seen.)
A lot of people agree with you and like working from home. We moved to AZ because my husband worked remotely and the home prices in Palm Springs were skyrocketing. It’s a cyclical market because the only industry is tourism. We were planning on moving to AZ when he retires, but he wanted to take advantage of the real estate market. Then his Southern California region merged with AZ and everything worked out for the best. He’s still working remotely but has to check in to his old office once or twice a year.
It just felt like an ordinary day, but I was just more anxious than normal. The hardest part was my daughter had to return home from college in the middle of the semester. She was heartbroken.
I was very anxious, too. I also felt so badly for high school and college kids. There lives changed so drastically.
I know. 🙁
It was definitely different, especially the mask wearing. Since I was already working from home I didn’t notice much change there. I think what scared me more was having a curfew in our town. No one on the streets after 10 PM. That made it seem like we were in a war zone or something.
I didn’t realize you had a curfew! That would be weird. I’m not sure if we had one or not. We lived two blocks from Palm Canyon Drive, the main street downtown Palm Springs with all the restaurants and shops. It was like a ghost town, because nothing there was considered “essential.”