Coronavirus19 Diary - Reset

Many of us, because of the excess of time on our hands, have seen them, photos of formerly smoggy skies turned clear blue. Pictures of wildlife popping up in places where it either hasn't been seen before or is rarely witnessed. One memorable image was the coyote walking down the middle of a deserted Michigan Ave in Chicago. In terms of birdlife we have experienced it first hand from our 9th floor apartment. We watched as peregrine falcons dove from the ledge of the Jazz Age building across the street from us. Geese, not a rare sight, but usually seen in our area only high above, have flown by our windows. A duck, somewhat unusual in our neighborhood, cruised by at 9th floor level. And there was the tiny sparrow which came to visit us on our balcony a couple of days in a row. As geese and ducks are not usually seen flying so low, the smaller birds are usually not seen that far up. Many have suggested that we have pushed a global reset button.

On a more personal level, my feet have reset. The layers of callused skin built up over the years from walking a sales floor have been pretty much completely worn away over the past weeks. Despite suggestions to the contrary, men's dress shoes,  if you stand in them all day, are not that comfortable. The chronic weariness from working sans vacations, due to future travel plans now canceled, has abated. Although these days the weariness is becoming increasingly replaced by ennui.

Our apartment has also, in a sense, been reset.I always maintain a clean home, but, during these past weeks, I have engaged in what a friend termed "unnaturally through spring cleaning". There had been some projects, neglected due to lack of time, that have now been completed. 

This time has also given me the time to reflect. I realize I crave structure. The structure of work, of a schedule. I am not the type that can sit idle. Formerly I knew that, for the sake of my sanity as well as, to a lesser extent, financial necessity, after retirement I would still hope to work part time. I thrive on human, face to face interaction. I want to experience, to continually learn, to satisfy my personal curiosity.

My mindset, formerly numbed by the routine of a daily routine, has been reset. When a sense of normalcy returns I look forward to exploring the reset world.