I’ve had plenty of time to think during my solitary confinement at home due to COVID-19. While my work as a writer means a lot of alone time the current situation is unlike any other work from home experience from during my career. I hope to use this crisis as a catalyst for positive change for me. I want to come away from this experience with something positive to show for it.

1. I’m a creator

I’ve had plenty of time to think during my solitary confinement at home due to COVID-19. While my work as a writer means a lot of alone time the current situation is unlike any other work from home experience from during my career. I hope to use this crisis as a catalyst for positive change for me. I want to come away from this experience with something positive to show for it.

Growing up with dyslexia led me to make some difficult bets on writing. Throughout my academic and professional careers, writing has always felt like the only thing I can do right. It’s a gift because I can come home from a day at work, hit the gym, then go back to writing again and feel OK about it.

I’m frequently called on to edit and technical review documents as part of my work as a technical writer. It’s all fine and good work to do. However, reviewing a document even though I know it’s important work doesn’t leave me with the same feeling as starting with a flashing cursor on a blank page.

Even now, I seem to feel best when I’m at a keyboard writing so much so I made a joke to a friend of mine I would try to just work and write my way through the current crisis. I guess you could say that I get a runner’s high from writing.

2. I take the human contact in my life for granted

Throughout my life, I’ve been one of that quality over quantity friends types of people. There are lots of people during the day that I may have taken for granted. Top of the list are the people at the gym in my circuit training class. Fun fact, I work out five or six times a week in a female-dominated group. Not to mention most of them are married. I grew to regret every night of the gym I skipped in the weeks before everything shut down because of COVID-19 restrictions.

3. Without the gym, I have a hard time leaving the keyboard

I started circuit training at the gym because I grew to see I wasn’t working as hard at the gym as I needed to be. Moving from the gym floor to circuit training was a hit and hope move because I know I needed help to reach my fitness goals.

I’ve found it difficult to leave the keyboard now that I’m in self-isolation at home. My area of Virginia just entered Phase 1 last Friday. Working out alone continues to be a challenge but I’m working on shaking things up again so I get rid of some of the pandemic weight gain I’m experiencing.

4.  TV Sucks

Living alone as I do, I have the TV on a lot just for background noise. BroadcastTV has been on a downward slide well before COVID-19 struck. Late-night TV is unwatchable. It’s not funny to me anymore. I watch HGTV at night far more than a single man should.

5. A new appreciation for Jim Gaffigan

I’ve long been a Jim Gaffigan fan. Dinner with the Gaffigans and Let’s Get Cooking both on Youtube have both been making me laugh during the quarantine. Never did I think I would ever find entertainment in watching a family eat dinner. They’ve been doing a great job of keeping their content apolitical which I like.

6. 80s TV is fun

I binge-watched Spenser for Hire during quarantine and enjoyed it after not seeing the show since I was a kid.

7. I can grow a pandemic beard

One personal project I was aiming to do was to grow a pandemic beard. That the whiskers on my chin turn white have held me back from ever doing this made being in self-isolation an ideal time to do this project. I’m positive that I’ll shave it off as life goes back to normal.

What things have you learned about yourself while in quarantine?