"Strange days, indeed." - Lennon
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The classic song "Nobody Told Me" appeared on the legendary Beatle's solo album "Milk and Honey." Hell, "Nobody Told Me!" as an utterance became a thing after longtime Knicks fan and celebrated director Spike Lee was told he needed to use a difference entrance to Madison Square Garden.
But, in what has become a strange landscape, I pull from a line repeated in the song: "Strange days, indeed!" You look for the positives amidst oft-confusing briefings and governmental edicts. You pore through data and mind your space and reserves.
I'll rattle off a couple quick wins experienced during the quarantine period. I challenge you to do the same. You'll find that a number of things were big wins that maybe you hadn't even noticed.
1. Board and card games with the kids between homework sets.
2. Drawing and creativity times. Paper and the pile of markers and crayons everyone's amassed. Add a reference image and Boom! You're talking artwork for days for grandma (bank it, people!).
3. Exercise. You take longer walks with the doggos. Get out to the park. Most folks stay on the walking path. Some are playing some frisbee golf. Us - we grab a soccer goal, get some drills in and take out frustrations on a Size 5 ball.
4. Cooking challenges and experimentation with our recipe books. Looking at my pantry some days, I feel like I'm in an episode of "Chopped." Waiting for Ted Allen to give me a challenge. Seriously, even if the kids are on their phones at the counter and just chatting up the day or what they watched on "Tik Tok" or whatever, it's a win.
We'll load some of the recipes in here as the week goes on. Maybe a cooking video, too?
5. Introducing the kids to some movies they may have missed. For instance, Sunday was a viewing of "Saving Mr. Banks." When can you go wrong with some Tom Hanks and an all-star cast?
** What have you watched?
6. I watched "Tiger King." Yeah. I'm just gonna leave that there.
7. We grabbed takeout to support a couple local restaurants here in our beach communities. And a couple treks to support Chicago staples that found their way to LA in Portillo's and Gino's East. Needed that taste of home.
8. FOX gave us the "Living Room Concert."
9. We're doing a bit of music exchange. The girls are firing off their favorites (showtunes and pop 40) and I can regale them with old country and rock tunes. We paid respect to Joe Diffie on Sunday after learning of his passing.
Go listen to "Ships That Don't Come In." Pause. And then laugh with "Prop Me Up (Beside The Jukebox).
10. It's time to get some learning into the mix. I'm learning how to go more graphics fun and audio/video production software.
11. My infrequent drives into the studio have been one-third the normal travel time, and most days I broadcast from the couch. So, tall glass full of (your imagination here) and a movie on silent.
12. More calls to torment my family or to share inane videos and life observations. It's all content for me, baby!
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I understand that the ramifications of Covid-19 have been felt by people in a great number of ways.
Self-isolation is certainly not an easy thing, and the mind will go to the darkness if allowed. Trust me. I have those moments with regularity when it's time to shut down. The mind won't. That's for another blog.
But, try to see the light as you can. Family, exercise, that movie you never had time to watch or call you put off.
And take a deep breath. We'll get through and back to the hustle soon enough.
