I am getting into a groove.

On day 3 of the shut-in life, I found myself starting to see the benefits of not leaving the house for work or play. We are spending less money, using less gas, we’re going on family walks together and the dog, well he’s getting a lot more walks now. Overall, aside from missing my work peeps, life is pretty good.

But this is the honeymoon phase.

While I try my best not to get too far into the future, but I wonder what day 14 will feel like. Right now, I am about as productive as I’ve ever been with my work. In times of change, my mind is the most creative, and I am energized. But how will I get the change I need to create if I’m confined to the same four walls, being with the same two people?

I’ll let future me handle that. Anxiety is not my friend.

On the workout front, with the gym closed, I am spending my noon hour running outside. This has been a fantastic change, even though I didn’t think I needed it. The blast of fresh air and the rediscovery of my legs has been a mind and body opener. It was quite apparent that my body had adapted to the treadmill.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve maintained a sense of optimism that this worldwide epidemic will change us for the better. When all of the restrictions are lifted, and we return to normal life, what will be the legacy? Will we be more mindful of our environment and health? Will we be more caring for our neighbour? Will we appreciate slowness a little more? I think so.

With this quarantine, we are no longer distracted by our busyness. Anxiety is high, but that’s OK. Anxiety means that we’re feeling something that we haven’t felt. And now, with our current disruption, we can’t medicate ourselves with the routine of life.

What our world needed was a time-out, and here we are. Undoubtedly this is a harsh punishment for the super-active and careless lifestyles we all live. We’ve been sent to our rooms for a really long time-out. A time-out to reflect on what we have, who we are, and where we are going.

Day 3 feels good. Let’s see how day 4 goes…