By Emily Schilling
Self-isolation and quarantining — which are now part of everyone’s lexicon — have changed our habits, our lives, our physical health and our mental health. Here are some of my random thoughts about staying put at home after a long career of “going to work.”
- Not having to set the alarm clock is so liberating! It does make a difference when your body actually gets the sleep it needs, without an inanimate object forcing you to wake up.
- It’s amazing how creative you can get when you base your meals on what you have in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Canned tuna, cream cheese and baby carrots CAN become a delicious dinner … somehow.
- Sweatpants and slippers ARE pretty darn comfortable. I never thought they would be day-to-day wear for me though.
- I can now tell time based on what’s on daytime TV! (Does anyone else know when Kelly Clarkson o’clock is?)
- Drinking green tea daily can help prevent heart attacks and stroke. Good news for my work-at-home self! Steaming hot green tea has been my go-to springtime beverage. Drinking it is like enjoying a warm hug — which is especially welcome in scary times.
Pre-pandemic, most of my waking hours were spent away from home: in the car, at work, running errands. Getting reacquainted to being home, cozy and safe with my cat keeping watch next to my laptop, was something nice to come out of an awful situation.
EMILY SCHILLING is editor of Indiana Connection
