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These are strange times, to say the least. If having your daily routine interrupted, whether by quarantine, job loss
or just the ever-present dread, has messed with your sense of time during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re not alone. To help give a little
perspective on how long this has been going on, MinnPost is keeping track of how much time has passed since certain key events in the crisis.
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Thanks for this. Everything is so different now that time seems to have lost all meaning. This morning I couldn’t remember what day of the week it was and had to check.
Us too…good thing I can see it on my watch…although what difference does it make what day it is anyway???
Understand completely – checking off the days on
my calendars as nothing to differentiate one day
from the next!
We are by nature social peoples – social distancing
is not normal life!
Grateful for the sunny skies & the warmth of the sun
– and all the returning birds!
This is so helpful! It seems like we have been in this strange new world for a very very long time. Where is our former life?
you hear everyone saying surreal, odd, twilight zone, changing by the minute, fluid situation and so on and on ~ but its a good point to make that unless we keep any form of track of our own weekly week/daily day it all feels a bit like a free fall….. with no known schedule for return to norms. Thx for the data bits.
Thanks, Tom.
Thanks, Tom. A little perspective – good or bad – is useful.
The extraordinary speed of these developments since the first case in the U.S. on only January 22 is almost unfathomable due to the quick change in our society, health predicament, as well as collapsed economy. Indeed, life can throw some very, very big punches. This is one of them for certain that makes history.
Wishing you all well!
The following may help:
I work from home and don’t feel comfortable going for walks in my neighborhood as there have been incidents of youth gangs creating problems near my apartment near University of Minnesota West Bank.
What I do to keep my sense of calm and sanity is just let each day happen as it happens. I spend hours watching Chinese television series on Youtube in an effort to gain a perspective of Chinese culture quite apart from the political realities and epidemiological realities we’re constantly reading about — which allows me to develop an appreciation for Chinese social and arts culture, and to see romance and social relationships played out in a way unlike we see on American television programs. The programs have subtitles, and I’ve been accustomed to reading subtitles since I was ten years old when my dad took me to the old Bell Museum for international film viewing in the 1970’s.
I do my best to read news articles about the virus in other parts of the world to determine what has been going on elsewhere — e.g. what works and doesn’t work around the world in terms of containing the virus, illness and deaths.
I have concluded that the extended stay at home orders in Minnesota are the right thing to do, despite the economic downturn. I have realized that while I am not making much money right now, my health is protected and I feel comfortable.
I talk to several friends and family each day by voice and text. I stay connected. Also, I eat one or two delicious and healthy meals each day, spending between $6.53 and $30.00 (on rare occasion, including the tip for pizza) for food each day.
I meditate on how I might find more work, as I have been disabled with anxiety and depression for a number of years, but realize that I am very bright, have a college education and have lived in various parts of the world before my medical condition got the best of me several years ago.
I don’t sweat being poor, despite having grown up in an upper middle class family and neighborhood (Lake of the Isles region, Minneapolis) as a kid. I go back to the adage that “I’m broke, but not poor,” as being broke is a temporary situation and being poor is an attitude of self-defeat.
I am blessed that I have friends from “rich” and “poor” families, and view everyone as though I would view a movie or a play, enjoying the characters around me and the character development.
I see that some people are very generous with their words and time on behalf of others. I, myself, am an adoptive dad and grandfather to six adults and children, aged two through thirty-four years old in the Kumasi region of Ghana, West Africa. Twenty dollars goes a long way for folks in Ghana, and I am happy to assist.
What I want to share with my readers is that helping other people and getting outside one’s own mind makes a lot of difference. Sharing our lives with others is a great gift, and the response in return is favorable. Some people I know think that my family in Ghana are scam artists taking my money. I have gotten to know them for ten years and see that they don’t ask for money and are happy for my assistance in an economy that hasn’t been good for them in the more rural areas near Kumasi, which is a cosmopolitan city and ranked one of the most advanced regions in all of Africa by Bill Gates.
I hope my thoughts have been helpful. Many people are hateful of Chinese people because the virus started in China. I look at the nacense of the virus in China being only incidental to life, and that the Chinese people have also been stuck in their homes for many many weeks…and their economy hasn’t been so low in decades. I try to have empathy for others, as well as forgiving others for actions which they have clearly made that have affected me in annoying and upsetting ways. This tends to cleanse the soul.
If you are interested in watching Youtube movies, they are free of cost and very entertaining. Pick a region of the world, a genre, or a topic you enjoy, and make the most of your days. Netflix.com, which costs about $15.00 per month per subscription for unlimited watching, is also a great way to spend one’s hours alone and with family and friends. Various children’s magazines give ideas for arts, crafts, and science projects suitable to youth. You can find them on Google.com in your browser.
Also, please do your best to remember what day of the week it is. Having some footing in organized thinking is very important. It is good to keep a schedule as well as to stay in touch with others.
Thanks for reading. I am open to any constructive criticism of my comments, as well as any praise.
One of the Chinese series that I watched is called “Love Cures All.” For those of you interested in business, this series portrays several characters in the real estate development business. Two cultural elements portrayed in the series involves their understanding of Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” in how the companies use an understanding of ancient war to organize and execute their negotiations and purchase of parcels of land around the port city of Hangzhou. Comments which reflect and element of Buddhism also abound. The series was produced from 2015-2017. It shows haute and trendy fashion, as well as family life of upper class families and those who are on their own starting from entry-level professional and executive positions in this advanced city of 10.36 million people. Buddhist worship is not depicted.
“Love Cures All” has fifty episode lasting from 30-58 minutes each. The main characters are in their 30’s to late sixties. If interested, key in “Youtube Chinese television Love Cures All.”
Thank you so much for your insights and approach to this unusual situation we are in, Barry. I too enjoy learning about other cultures and how they are living and balancing their lives. I spent a lot of my working years traveling in Asia and have deep respect for how they think and problem solve. I learned so much from them. People in our country don’t often get the chance to experience other cultures. You have given more than one gift with your comments. Thank you again.