Quarantine Chronicles

I sat staring at a blank screen for an hour, closed my laptop and walked away. I did the same thing for 5 days straight. I’ve been home going on three weeks but I have not been working from home, I’ve been at home, surviving a traumatic experience while trying to work and be productive. Don’t get me wrong I am getting my work done, but at the end of the day I crawl in bed at 8:30 feeling like I just competed in the Iron Man with barely enough energy to scroll through social media. But as I scroll through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, I am being bombarded with “encouraging words” telling me if I don't start a business, write a book, get my body right, learn how to be a chef, or accomplish something great I am a failure. While at the same time being bombarded with well-meaning celebrities sharing their boredom from their 24 room mansions.

It is all slightly insensitive to me. People are struggling. So many people are trying to work from home and/or educate their children, even more are not being paid and wondering how they are going to pay next month’s bills or feed themselves or their families as they hope to get a $1200 stimulus check.

This is the world we created. We are a society that somewhere along the way became obsessed with celebrity culture. Maybe it’s the glitz and glam, maybe it’s because we don’t have a royal family in America. Maybe it’s because we all secretly want to be celebrities, or want to live in 24 room mansions, but in my opinion this has become dangerous to our society. The obvious reason is because we have a celebrity as president who has no idea how to lead in this time of national crisis and that alone is leading to more insecurity and anxiety, but that is for another post on another day and before I digress down a political rabbit hole let me get back to the subject of this post.

Many of these celebrities don’t know how to be without the accolades of adoring fans. They are lost at home alone without glam teams and fancy clothes. They are so bored that they think complaining is relatable or sharing their multiple dances on TikTok a social program that was made for kids is something we all need in our lives. It’s not all bad, there are some celebrities that truly want to help. Debbie Allen is teaching multiple dance classes a week, these are easy to do fitness classes. Dolly Parton reads stories to children once a week. DJ Nice has a dance party multiple nights a week. These are things you can opt into participating in and are generally entertaining. This is how I plan on surviving this pandemic:

1. Stay home

2. Do the best I can with my job

3. Take care of my home to the best of my ability

4. Cook, because I like it

5. Sketch because it relaxes me

6. Binge watch Charmed, NCIS and Star Trek because I am a nerd, I enjoy these shows and Captain Picard is bae

7. Give myself grace

Here is my advice to you. Do the best you can, try to do things that bring you calm, and give yourself grace. Know that if all you do is survive without killing your family that is a win, lol. That’s it!

Let me finish by saying I honestly don’t think people mean any harm, they are trying to be encouraging and perhaps entertaining. Maybe they feel you can relate to their complaints, maybe you can relate because your chef is also sheltering in place leaving you to eat cereal for dinner. But for my mental health I have unfollowed quite a few people because their boredom does not compare to my reality and perhaps if we as a collective did not put them on a pedestal they would know this. Share your Quarantine Chronicles with me, I really want to know.

Be safe out there.

#ShelterAtHome