How are you spending your time during this age of oddity?
If you are coming across this blog post years in the future, please note that this was written in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. At the time I am writing this, I am on day 8 since I closed my business at the order of Governor Cuomo. I have been filling my time since this started in a number of different ways, but yesterday I decided go kayaking during a pandemic. And I was so happy I did.
Before I go too deep into this post, I would like to address my absence. Several weeks ago, I began to post daily blogs. I was enjoying it, but after the second week, I realized that I wasn’t keen on the format I had chosen. At the end of the day, I am not looking to be an informational blog. My goal is to be an editorial source. I want to throw out my opinion on the news of the day, or a new movie, a video game I am playing, or whatever else suits my fancy.
click here to read about the original idea I had for the blog
So, going forward, I am going to do just that. I am also not going to hold myself religiously to posting each and every day. If I have something to write, I will write it. If I don’t have something I want to comment on, then I won’t.
The other piece of the puzzle is my YouTube channel. While I have never been successful at regularly posting there, I dropped it altogether when I decided to focus on this blog. I want to try to hybridize things more appropriately. One should not have to be sacrificed for the sake of the other.
The Current Pandemic Status
Today is Friday, March 27th. Over the last couple of weeks, I have created some new habits and my daily routine has changed drastically. While I still get up at 6 or 7 am, I no longer have ninety minutes of bookkeeping and other administrative tasks to do. Now, I make my coffee, turn on my Nintendo Switch, and play Animal Crossing. At some point, Governor Cuomo goes live with a press conference in which he outlines the current state of things. After my coffee is done, I either ride my bike on the trainer or run on the treadmill.
Yesterday, the weather was quite nice, so I got the chance to change things up. I followed the same routine until Cuomo finished his press conference. Instead of hitting the gym, I went to my garage and took out the patio furniture and the fire pit. I also put the bike rack and kayak mounts on the Subaru. When all that was accomplished, I loaded my 14 foot kayak onto the car and went to The Erie Canal Park in Camillus.
People Out in Force
I was shocked when I arrived by how many people were there. In my YouTube video, I claim there to be around 50 people. That was a gross underestimate. By the time I left, I am certain I saw well over 100 people there. During this crisis, we are being asked to “Social Distance” from others, meaning to keep six feet away from the person near you. The width of the trail at the park does not allow that. Luckily for me, I was nowhere near anyone because I was in the water.
I needed to get out. As I could tell from the size of the crowd, other people needed to as well. How do you condemn people for congregating in that way, whether there is a pandemic or not? They were not there to socialize. They went to the park to get outdoors and exercise. Endorphines are the best defense against stress in times like this. I would make the argument that the risk is worth the reward.
My girlfriend Jessica and I also took our bikes out at the lake last night. That was really nice too and the crowds were much smaller there. I am thinking an outdoor run is on the docket today. I guess you will find out tomorrow.
Do me a favor: subscribe to this blog. You can find the subscription box on the right sidebar if you are on your computer or at the bottom of the page if you are on a mobile device. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel while you are at it. Hopefully I will get back into the swing of all this.
See you tomorrow…
