One month down...Who knows how many to go...

It has now been about a month of quarantine. Even though every day is the same, more or less, each day I’m keeping busy in one way or the other as best I as I can. I have to say, I’m not even that bored anymore because it’s almost like I’ve come to accept that this is our life right now and could be for another month or two. And after this is all over, will anything ever be the same? 

I really can't imagine things going back to normal any time soon. When we do start to "open back up" I think it will happen gradually and carefully. It will have to. But again, only time will tell when and how this will happen. It's all a waiting game.

(Day 22) April 7: I had seen the forecast for today for the last couple of days and was pretty excited for such a nice spring day. I started the day with a long-ish walk in the park in shorts (!!!) and a t-shirt. I probably could’ve gone with a tank too and actually regretted not wearing one. I wanted to get out on the early side to avoid a busier time of day where there were going to be more people outside. The less people I encounter on these walks, the better. I usually listen to music or a podcast on these walks and its been nice to catch up on a lot of the podcasts I hadn't listened to in a while because I wasn't taking public transportation to work. One of the funnier things I listened to was on the U Up podcast. One of the hosts sneezed on air and joked how it’s now more acceptable for someone to pull their dick out in public than to cough or sneeze and you know what, he’s not wrong. People will give death glares now-a-days for sneezes or coughs in public (trust me, I get them a lot when I cough).

When I got home, I relaxed for a little before heading up to the roof to lay out. It felt like pure summer out there. I didn’t want to season-push and wear a bathing suit, but I did rock a sports bra and shorts and got some pretty good color. Has this not been a pandemic and I was home for spring break with the weather like this, you bet your ass I would have gone to the beach. But that’s not our reality, so the roof was totally fine.

After getting my fill of the sun, I came inside for a while and did a fun Zoom call with some old work friends and ate dinner, then actually headed out for a second walk. I couldn't pass up the 78 degree weather at 6:00 because it was supposed to go back to the 40’s in a couple of days again.

On this night at 8:00, people in the neighborhood (and the city) all went to their windows, roofs, and balconies and cheered and clapped and cowbelled for healthcare workers. This has been a thing in NYC for a while now and I was wondering when we would start doing it here and it really is an amazing thing to be a part of. I started tearing up as I was listening to it all.

(Day 23) April 8: It was pretty foggy today but the temps were nice again so my PT/friend and I went on a long walk. It was my longest walk (five miles) since I had surgery in December. For old me, this would've been nothing, but for not-fully-recovered me, who is still in a huge brace, this was big. We walked around Lincoln Park a little and then headed south on Michigan Avenue downtown. I had wanted to get some pictures of the Michigan Avenue bridge, the Chicago River, and the Chicago Theatre since the streets are pretty empty of cars and people.

When I got home, I watched Unorthodox on Netflix and wow, just wow. I highly recommend watching this. This four-part series follows the life of a young woman escaping her Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. I find this stuff super fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Like how do people live like this? I know they probably think the same thing about my life, but damn.

Also tonight, I had to give myself my Humira injection again for the second time during this pandemic. It makes me super nervous each time because I know that this lowers my immunity a little and puts me more at risk than normal. Although I know it's necessary to keep my digestive system healthy, it can take a toll on my immune system.

I've also taken to trying to make TikTok videos. They are silly and ridiculous and I wouldn't dare post then, but they are fun to make and keep me occupied and entertained for a decent amount of time. I wont dare admit how many tries it took or how sweaty I got making it, but it was definitely a fun time.

(Day 24) April 9: There was not much to report today. I went on another quick walk and made another TikTok that I won’t post, but I was thinking a lot today (as I do most days).  I have been sitting around a lot wanting to do something to help people out. In a time like this, I feel lucky to be getting paid and keeping my benefits all while being able to stay home. There are so many people who don’t have that privilege. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about everyone who is putting their lives on the line everyday to work. Yes, the doctors and nurses and all hospital staff are right on the front lines, but I’ve been more so feeling so bad for the other people in the front line working essential jobs like delivery people, grocery store clerks and shelf-stockers, truck drivers, CTA employees, etc... who never were never really considered essential to a lot of people, but are risking their lives everyday and not making that much money doing so. They don’t have the choice not to show up to work because then their families can’t put food on the table or pay their rent. It just makes me sad and feel extra lucky for the way I was brought up and opportunities I’ve been privileged to have.

Make no mistake, the doctors and nurses deserve all the recognition and heroic accolades right now for the hours they are putting in at work and sacrifices of not being able to even see their families because of their exposure to the virus.  Like everyone else, they are working their asses off and are sacrificing so much, and many fundraisers have been happening to provide meals for them from restaurants. This not only helps the restaurant make money, it provides great meals to the health care workers.

I wanted to be able to help in some way so I was trying to figure out who I could donate to. Bethany Frankel has been doing amazing things from her BStrong non-profit with providing PPE to those hospitals in need and that woman gets shit done. But I wanted to do something more local. I ended up doing what I could and that was making a donation. I made one to a non-profit called My Block, My Hood, My City, who in this time are providing groceries for the elderly who can't leave their homes and also to the Greater Chicago Food Depository who supply the food at food pantries.

(Day 25) April 10:  I had to go to Walgreens this morning and wore my running buff as a mask this time and thought it was more comfortable and easier to breathe in than the homemade bandana mask I wore to Trader Joe’s earlier in the week. I did a quick in and out and when I got home, I wiped down and took off the packaging of the few things I bought. It is so stressful entering a store nowadays, but if I need stuff, I have to do it.

(Day 26) April 11: It was another day of nice spring weather again so I took a walk (in a tank and leggings no less) on my usual course and then laid on the roof again. I am starting to get a little tan which always makes me feel better about myself. And just being able to sit outside in the fresh air is better than sitting inside.

(Day 27) April 12: Today was just like yesterday (and most days TBH), but I started the morning was the SNL from the night before which was surprisingly funny. They did the episode on Zoom and it was super creative and entertaining and I think great for everyone's morale. I hope they do it again next week.

(Day 28) April 13: School started again today as Spring Break is now over, so back to e-learning we go. I had everything all set-up for the week already so I was good to go. It was also cold out today so I decided to give my leg a break and stay put inside today and skip my daily walk. But the good news there was that I have been doing some of my PT exercises at home and *think* I have may gotten my knee to bend almost 90 degrees which is a HUGE improvement. Maybe it's all the walking combined with all the laying around, but it's definitely bending a little more. There is still pain when I try and bend it further, but I've got nothing but time to keep working at it. And I will continue to do so.

With all the time we have, I may as well focus on improving that bend and my strength a bit. I have a feeling schools (and businesses around the city) will continue to be closed until at least mid-may, if not the whole month, so we all just need to do what we can to get through each day. Some days are easier than others and some go by in a blink of an eye while others feel like they last 56 hours. There is no right or wrong way to do this quarantine because there are so many stressors and unknowns. We've just got to take it day by day and take care of ourselves mentally and physically the best way we can.