It’s important to me to use this time meaningfully to do things I  can’t normally do. I was working from home during the first month of the shutdown. My job kept me very busy, and it didn’t feel like I was benefitting from having more time at home. Then I was laid off – left to manage my goals without restraint. 

Am I managing to achieve my goals while having total freedom? What am I doing or not doing?

 

1. Walking (Almost Every Day)

 

I’m proud to say, since the shutdown began, I made it a point to take this time to makes sure my dog gets to walk regularly. We go out most evenings generally from 20-45 minutes, sometimes even more.

It’s been almost two months. We visit different streets and in explore nearby neighborhoods – more than when I used to walk him sporadically. It’s interesting to see the various types of houses, landscaping, and even the personalities of the people we encounter. There is house with a horse and buggy carriage in the front yard and another with a sign for a college graduate on the lawn.

Something not so good also happened. My dog got bitten in the face by another dog. The angry dog ran out of his open gate and attacked my dog, but this did not deter my dog’s excitement for the daily walks, and I grew in resilience nursing his wound. Fortunately, everything has been good since then. 

 

2. Exercising

 

Before the shutdown, I had a steady routine of going to the gym 4-5 times a week, usually in the mornings before work. When I was working from home it took effort to do this before my workday started, but I was still exercising even if it was less consistent.

Now, I struggle to get a routine going again. However, since I  walk regularly, I feel justified in being gentle with myself and giving myself a break on this one. 

 

3. Not Watching the News Too Much

 

I watch or read small spurts of the news. But experts don’t know a lot about the virus yet. There’s no point in talking about it too much in and getting anxious. 

It is important to be informed about what is going on in society. People are accomplishing great things standing up for rights they feel are endangered, but we all perform different roles. Important acts can be big like opening your business so your employees can earn money, and they can be little like asking if your neighbor needs items from the grocery. 

 

4. Writing

 

I lost my job a few weeks ago. Wanting to DO something still, I decided to open a resume writing business. This was a reasonable idea because I have helped friends and colleagues write or update their resume over the years. Since I knew so many people who would be looking for jobs, this was the optimal time to go for it. Except for one little detail, I wasn’t very excited about this idea. 

The resume idea quickly fizzled out, at least for now. Since my goal is to use this time to accomplish things that are meaningful to me, I decided to return to a novel I started writing three years ago. So here I am, starting the second draft. (And this blog post is my sneaky attempt at procrastinating today.)

 

5. Zoom Calls and Video Chats

 

I am someone who HATED video chats with passion. But exposure to a stimulus is the best way to either get over strong feelings or build a habit. I had to participate in conference calls for work. I didn’t use video; however,  it was the first step in getting me accustomed to conversing on the computer. 

Then my friends started having weekly Zoom Cocktail Hours. I begrudgingly agreed to participate, but after each one ended, I found I enjoyed myself. Plus, it was interesting to see each friend in their own environment.

Next, my family had an unprecedented call for my niece’s birthday last week. We gathered from different states and countries to wish her a happy birthday. It was special since all of the generations came together, which was something that happened a lot when I was growing up, but the next two generations after me did not get to experience. The culmination was yesterday, on my birthday, I happily participated in many video chats and calls with friends and family.

 

6. Not Thinking About What I Want to do Next (Yet).

 

Like many people who found themselves jobless recently, I will have to start applying for jobs soon. That also involves figuring out what I want to do next. Do I want to go back to the same type of work I did recently? 

I liked most things about it, but I would like to have at least some work that I accomplish rather than only writing about what other people do. That’s probably also why I have always been reluctant to dive into writing resumes. 

In the past, when I stepped off the carousel to figure out what I want to do with myself, everyone kept going. Now, most of the world is at a pause.  And things are going to be different for those returning to their jobs for the foreseeable future. This is a good time to reflect and reevaluate what’s next. 

***

I believe the world is collectively experiencing this for a reason, and we will come out of it when it’s time.

Life is all about adapting our actions and striving to be better, whether it involves a national or international crisis, or facing our daily struggles. We need to try to act as safe as possible with the information we have, but in some ways there’s not much else we can do but ride it out and have faith that things will work out. 

So this is what I’m doing now. I’m trying to enjoy each day. 

 

 

How long has it been seen you have gone to the dentist? I know of people who are afraid to go but I believe putting it off just makes things worse, potentially compounding whatever issues they might have. 

I went a few weeks ago, I usually go a little more than the recommended six months, I go every four months to get a cleaning. I’ve found it helpful because I’m diligent about flossing when I go and then it gradually tapers off, so by the time four months roll around I’m not really flossing anymore. 

I imagine what keeps people from going is they’re afraid of hearing bad news and needing lots of work on their teeth. But I think putting it off makes it worse, whereas if you go regularly, it won’t be so bad. Maybe you’ll have one cavity, but if you don’t go for two years you could have six. Taking care of our teeth is not actually that hard most of the time. So, how long has it been since you’ve gone to the dentist?

Instant Pot Vortex Plus Broiled Chicken Thighs

Note: I purchased a Vortex and was not able to find information on how long to broil chicken thighs, so I created this recipe as a guide to help others. I explained how I seasoned the chicken, but feel free to season the chicken another way.

Ingredients

3 Defrosted Skinless Chicken Thighs

2 Garlic Cloves Chopped

¼ Onion Chopped

Italian Seasoning

Butter (3-6 1/8^th inch slices of butter)

Directions

1. Season three chicken thighs with onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning and let it marinate for an hour.
2. Before placing chicken in the Vortex add butter on top of the thighs.
3. On the Vortex, press ‘Broil’, the temperature will set to 400 degrees
4. Adjust the cook time to 10 minutes.
5. Allow the Vortex to preheat (approximately 5 min).
6. When the screen says ‘Add Food’ place the trays (chicken tray and the drip tray) in the Vortex. (I used to top row, but next time I would try the middle).
7. After 10 minutes turn the chicken thighs over and put back in the oven. (It will have to preheat again, if you prefer you can put the chicken in or wait. If you do put the chicken in now, you will have open close the door when it tells you to Add Food.
8. Let the chicken cook for 10 minutes. Once it’s done remove once the Vortex says it’s done. Note: Be sure to check the chicken to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly.
9. Enjoy juicy chicken thighs with sides of your choice!

Last month I discovered an injured ringneck dove in my yard. It was Thursday night. I’ve been feeding the wild birds for six years and have doves, sparrows, blue jays, and cardinals as regulars so it was normal to see a dove. I had let my dog out and normally they flight into the tree but this one was not able to take flight.

His left wing hung awkwardly. We caught him (my mother and I. Not my dog and I) and placed him in a shoe box. At my mother’s suggestion, treated the bare spot underneath about the size of a chicken McNugget with iodine soaked cotton ball because she believes in using iodine for all wounds. I googled bird wounds and found something at the pet store, but my mother believes so firmly in iodine she convinced me that was enough.

The first night I kept him in a covered milk crate. He was a little spooked and cowered down whenever I went near him, but as time went on he perked up confidently. The crate didn’t have much room for him to move but at least he could see through the grates. The next day put him outside in the crate so he could be near the wild birds.

Feeling bad that he didn’t have much room, on Saturday morning, I let him roam around on the porch. At first, he remained on the broomstick perch but then when we left him alone he roamed about the room.

We decided to let it out in the yard to experience a taste of freedom and socialize with his dove friends, he explored the yard a bit, perching on a palm branch and then made a break for the fence and tried to escape through the chain-linked fence. He was still fairly subdued and was easy to catch but he had to return to the crate after that.

Fortunately for him, I had a bright idea and he was blessed with a room upgrade. I set him up in a personal shopping cart.  I laid newspaper on the bottom and placed a file box lid on top and voila it was a birdcage on wheels! I could even stick a branch through it and he had a perch.

By Saturday night we decided his wing was still hanging awkwardly and time alone wouldn’t heal it. When I first encountered him I was concerned with the wound, I thought if that healed he would be able to hold his wing normal but now I became concerned that the wing needed to be set a particular way to heal. I googled what to do for an injured bird wing and saw a clever post using a sock. It said to cut out the toe and cut a place for the bird’s legs in the sock and slide it over the bird to hold the wing in place. I can see how this probably would have been more comforting (though constricting) for the bird. I’m still didn’t think I was qualified to be providing medical treatment. So I decided I would take him to the South Florida Wildlife Center the next day.

I knew about the center because I found an injured a black bird in my yard a few years ago. That time I didn’t have notions of rehabilitating it myself. I immediately searched online for where to take an injured bird and found the South Florida Wildlife Center and took him there. I didn’t even know what the other bird was until I received a letter from the rescue calling it a grackle.

Coming back to the current patient, when it came time to take him to the wildlife center, I placed him in the carrier (the milk crate). I said my goodbyes, genuinely feeling a little sad not to have him around anymore, but knowing he was going to be in better hands. I put him into the crate and secured him in the car.

I arrived at the South Florida Wildlife Center and there was a tall blonde man carrying a creature in a giant Rubbermaid bin (big enough to fit a 50-pound dog). The wildlife attendant manning the desk had just identified the creature as a European something (bird) and the guy was amused cause he was going to Europe tomorrow. I peeked into the bin and it was a tiny bird, he was much smaller than my poor dove in his red milk crate.

When it was my turn, I filled out a short form providing my personal information and explaining what care or medication I provided to the dove. I glanced at the whiteboard as I waited for my turn and saw that the wildlife center received 55 animals yesterday! The place survives purely on donations and I couldn’t imagine how they sustain it. I had only heard about it because I searched for a place to take an injured bird in the past. My mom made a small donation into their box and I promised to give more next month.

The attendant came to me and placed the dove in a clear Rubbermaid shoebox container with breathing holes and transported him to the care area. In a moment my little friend was gone.

There are shelters for domestic animals, but it’s nice to know there is a place looking out for the wild animals as well. I found the dove in my yard, but the man with the little European bird found him on a public median and took the time to bring him in. I thought that was admirable.

I offered to pick the dove up when he got better. The attendant said he would make a note in the file but they usually just let the birds go if they get better. I haven’t heard from them, but I’m hoping the dove found his way back and he’s still coming by for meals.

 

Litter always saddens me. When there is a trash can nearby, I sometimes pick things up. Most of the time I don’t do anything besides wonder why people can’t throw things away properly.

But with the straw controversy and constantly hearing animals being impacted and harmed by human trash, it tipped me in favor of trying to make a small, personal step.

Inspired by an image I saw on Facebook recently; I took a plastic bag with me to the beach to pick up 3 pieces of trash.

I visited the beach on a weekday. It wasn’t crowded, so I had access to more surface area. In about five minutes I picked up at least a dozen bottle caps, a wine cork, a child’s plastic toy, plastic wrappers, and other things in a 25 square foot area.

Shortly after this, I saw a commercial on TV for an organization called 4Ocean working toward cleaning up the oceans. They sell bracelets to support their efforts. I think this is great but even if you don’t want to make a donation or buy a bracelet, we can all do something in the space around us.

Remembering to take the plastic bag and pick up trash myself made me feel like I made a difference. I felt happy to know that stuff wouldn’t get carried into the ocean to endanger an animal and was able to relax and enjoy the beach with my dog.