Isolated Thoughts

Driven inside by the threat of illness and death around the globe, we have to deal with the isolation that brings. Ironically, most days of the year I am lamenting the lack of time to devote to my hobbies - gaming, writing, reading, etc. Now that I'm forced by a pandemic to remain inside I feel like I have less time available than ever.

Part of this stems from a shift in hours. Instead of working weekdays from 7-3, I'm working 3 or 4 10 hour days, from 8:30-6:30. On days I work I get home and sleep because I'm tired. On days I don't work, I try to sleep in and try to recuperate my energy. Needless to say, the overhanging threat of illness and uncertainty of a timeline for a return to normalcy causes so much stress that I barely sleep.

This is a difficult way to live. We've been lucky and able to go online with two of our D&D games, so that has kept us sane. I've been working to adapt to my new sleep schedule by taking time each day to open my computer and work on my D&D games. This is a new normal, and a work in progress, but it is necessary in order to make the most of the extra time at home.

Hopefully, a vaccine or cure or treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic will come sooner rather than later, and the world can return to a better routine. Until then, we are interested in making the most of the situation we are in. I am looking to remain productive and constructive. I realize I have a rare opportunity to think and work granted by the constraints on travel imposed on us as a population, and look to make the most of the opportunity.

For now, I've been able to do a lot more reading. That is a good start. We ported a two-year in-person FLGS game onto Roll20 and played within four days - with seven players and a first-time DM! We've been able to restart a stalled online game, and begun another this weekend. First steps appear small, but they can lead anywhere. Good luck to everyone in your own isolation.