How are you holding up? I just want to check in during this surreal time and hope you are safe as we all learn to navigate this new normal.
Here in Southern California it has escalated quickly since mid-March, when we had to shelter at home. I only leave my apartment to take advantage of drive-up services for groceries or necessities from Target. Grocery stores are open, but I’m trying to be extra cautious and not have to go inside them unless I absolutely need to. We live in Orange County, where the cases in neighboring Los Angeles are growing at a frightening pace and I’m trying to take as many precautions as possible with social distancing.
Afternoon walks.
I’m thankful for being healthy, and being fortunate enough to stay at home. I’ve also learned to validate all the heavy emotions that have come along with this time: anxiety, insomnia and grief. The first week of quarantine was the worst for me, but now I’ve learned to limit my news intake (including avoiding going down the dark hole of coronavirus googling) and stick to a regular routine that gives my life a sense of normalcy.
A rainbow right outside our window after a long rainy day.
One thing that has really boosted my spirit is the daily afternoon walks that Mustafa and I go on, walking on the trail behind our apartment complex. We are beginning to see signs of spring-flowers blooming along the trail and robins in the trees. Signs that life does go on.
Taking a detour from our usual walking path since it was too crowded to walk safely.
As for the blog, traveling is the last thing on most peoples’ minds, which is completely understandable. It’s disheartening to see something I’ve worked on for years become momentarily obsolete, but know my situation could be much worse and I’m not taking that for granted. I have decided to just focus on updating and republishing old posts on the blog for the foreseeable future. I have a lot of posts that need polishing and one of the upsides of this uncertain time is that I have been able to slow down and spend time to do things that I often put aside.
Wherever you are, please stay safe <3
Hi Julia, I can so relate to the first week of quarantine being the worst. I also made a set of rules similar to yours (limited time for news, setting up new routines — I also added daily facetime with parents as it helps both sides). Stay safe and well!
Thank you Kal for your kind words. Frequent communication with friends and family has definitely helped me too. Stay safe and be well!