Our New Normal - Day 2

Life goes on, but people are taking "Stay at home" conditions to heart. The coffeeshop next door to me, which can only do take-out now, is taking advantage of the lack of people to start a remodeling project. Kathy usually repaints or remodels every few years, but she's able to do a major re-do right now because it's walk in-walk out traffic only. 

Take a look. Times Square in New York City is deserted. It NEVER lacks
people, but it's a ghost town. Incredible. 

The street traffic is closer to an early Sunday morning than rush hour or standard "Get to work" levels. That's been nice for getting to and from work and I've been appreciating the semi-empty streets. I miss my morning oatmeal and pot of coffee, a large travel cup of Earl Grey doesn't quite make the same impact. Still, I'm managing and it's nice to get to the shop within ten minutes of leaving home. 

I'm rather sad that I'm not traveling through the world right now
because it's certainly the time to get great views of the wonderful
places. Just look at this view of an almost empty Eiffel Tower in France. 

The television and stock markets are all doom and gloom, so I've learned selective hearing techniques. I used those last when I was attending college and grad school. I'm sure we all learned how to selectively listen while we were in school or other life venues where we had to sit and listen to someone expound about something we really weren't interested in. DH is the stock market and news guy - wakes up with the stock market and goes to sleep with it as well. Not me! I have learned the value of headphones, Spotify and Sirius XM and how to ignore voices from the TV. 

Parishes have shifted from people to pigeons in front of the great
cathedrals. It's a great time to take a solitary walk around the
monuments of your town or country, if you're allowed to
leave your house at all. 

I hope that all of you allow yourself to channel your inner child today. Take joy in a simple glass of milk or juice and a cookie. Play with color and a set of inexpensive water colors - don't force yourself to do anything "real", just look at the color and how they interact. It's beautiful. Listen to some of your favorite music, read a good book, stroke a cat, pet a dog, and remind yourself that life is fabulous. Be safe, take care, and I'll be back tomorrow.