After wearing the same mumu for three days straight I wrote the following Facebook post: I realize this is a small matter but I’m going to have to buy more lounge ware.
The comments from this post have been so entertaining I thought I would share them.
Please describe “lounge ware”?? Sweatpants & tee shirts=loungewear; wine+snacks&TV=lounge ware, right?- SM Good point, sorry about the misspelling.
I know I have to force myself to put on real clothes- NL
I gave up on real clothes. Stretch pants for days. I went to church today braless and in my fuzzy slippers and it was great!- JM
I’m debating the need for a shower today- JS
Ripe is good.- KE
Amazing how personal hygiene becomes an optional part of life…-BT
Bill, aren’t we supposed to be saving water?- LS
This is an opportunity to find out what my real hair color is- NL
Does loungewear include pajamas? – SC
No beige!- BD
What? You aren’t dressing for dinner? Please!- Katrina
I’m in a good place with this. –CL
Me too! Or Gary might leave me as he is tired of the same set three days in a row.- Sandy
Jackie, don’t rush the shower- you have all day tomorrow.- GB
I awoke anxious early this morning. Anxiety tends to visit at the most vulnerable times, whispering messages of fear and doubt into my barely awake ear. It seems to take turns visiting my husband and me. Yesterday was his day to panic. The above Facebook comment thread was just what I needed to escape my “case of the nerves” as my Southern grandmother used to say.
We, like most people in the world (over 30), are taking precautions to protect our selves and others from contracting this virus. We are practicing social distancing—a term I’d never heard before two weeks ago—honoring the six feet rule. For good measure I’m tacking on a few extra feet since I fall squarely into the “elderly” demographic designated as the high-risk group. (I’m in the process of designing a scarf out of a tape measure so I can be assured of the proper footage–just kidding)
So I’m taking to my laptop trying to make sense of the paradigm shift happening in our world. As I was writing this post I saw a huge white egret strutting down the sidewalk in front of my home. Last week as I walked around Lake Lilly I noticed the turtle population is proliferating. There must be a thousand turtles living in and sunning themselves on the banks of the Maitland lake.
Perhaps the wildlife population is reveling in this opportunity to be the boss of their environment without pesky humans interfering.
Maybe the environment in general will benefit from the lack of vehicle, motorboat, and airplane traffic. Maybe the ozone layer will continue to heal. I’ve been seeing more people outside walking and biking (keeping their distance). Since we can’t really multi-task, if we survive this virus we might be mentally and physically healthier.
At the risk of being called Pollyanna, I do believe it is imperative we seek to find the grace in situations even as dire as this one. Yes, I’m frantic about the economy. I worry about people who have no financial cushion on which to rely in the absence of income. But we have been given a giant pause from our typical frenzied routines. How can we best use this metaphorical comma? Some thoughts…
–Don’t incessantly follow the news. (Note to self)
–Wave hello to neighbors you haven’t acknowledged since the last hurricane scare.
–Go to Publix, Costco, Target, or Fresh Market to take advantage of their designated senior hours. (Although I just returned from Target after spending an hour in line for what turned out to be 4 rolls of toilet paper. This visit occurred during their “senior” shopping hour in which I was by far the oldest person in line.)
–Work on your yoga, tai chi, or Pilates practices. Youtube is chock full of exercise videos.
–Meditate or practice breathing exercises. Even the apple watch comes with a breathing app
–Play games, do jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles or other word games.
–The Atlantic Monthly published their streaming recommendations- https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2020/03/what-to-watch-during-social-distancing/608326/
–And it would not be Be Brave. Lose the Beige if I did not suggest some kind of creative project. I’m breaking out my sewing machine to make quilt panels. Freesewing.org- https://freesewing.org/ is offering patterns for sewing those elusive face masks. The CDC says they will do in a pinch but cautions these homemade masks are not considered PPE (personal protective equipment.)
Teenagers have dubbed the COVID-19 virus the Boomer Remover. Hardly a comforting reference but it did make me laugh. My daughter is terrified my generation is being Darwin-ized.
I actually hung up a few of our Starlight spheres on a tree in our front yard. These colorful balls are usually reserved for Christmas décor but I’m hoping their whimsy might make people smile. Just like Tom Bodett advertised for Motel Six, “We’ll keep the light on for you”. Especially during this dark time.
