My thoughts on Quarantine
My two Cents: Quarantine
A matter of perspectives.
Well, here we come to a long day of quarantines. Unlike some people who have done diaries online like “Day 1 of Quarantine, Day 2 of Quarantine,” etc., I have not. Oh, I have plenty of thoughts on the subject, and I have plenty of ideas and such, but I live a life where I rarely go out all over the place. I guess some would say I don’t have a life. But I do, I just don’t like going out all over the place. I prefer to be at home. So, I didn’t want to write WHILE I was in the midst of things, because it seemed too volatile at the time, however some things I noted on social media was how everyone was saying they were in prison.
For me it was freedom. I love just relaxing at home. I hate running around everywhere, honestly. I don’t mind an occasional outing to a park or mall or restaurant, but I really love hanging out in my home. Don’t get me wrong I do love exploring places, like finding museums or places of interest I have only heard about, I love visiting lighthouses in Michigan. There are a lot of cool places here, and I love visiting them. But those are destinations and I can wait if I have to.
I just can not find home a prison for me. Sure we are renting so it still does not feel like a permanent home, I still feel like we might move at any point, but that is because it is not mine. I grew up moving from Army Base to Army Base and never having a permanent place to set down my roots. I’ve been stationed in Germany as well. I long for a permanent home someday, but in the meantime, I am satisfied with where I am. It’s not perfect, it has its flaws but a prison? I guess you have to look at another perspective. I am aware I am not everyone and each person has their own perspective, you are welcome to it. I am going to give you my reasons why I do not think my home is a prison and how I managed to cope, maybe it might help if ever you face cabin fever, or we ever face another situation like this. So, starting with the obvious:
There are no prison guards. Oh, one may argue that the regulations laid down by various governors are like setting up guards, but no governor has said you can’t go outside at all in your yard, or go out for exercise, etc.
I have a home. Period. Rent or buy I have a home. I have a roof over my head. It has a lock to protect my belongings. They have a place to be. Shelves etc but I have them. I have windows, walls, roof, doors that lock. I am protected from storms, cold, and intruders. There are many in this world that do not have that type of protection.
I decided to put out a bird feeder this year and some squirrel feed. I’ve seen a plethora of birds and a snotty bratty squirrel that teases my cats.
As a book lover, I can reread all my favorite books. Maybe you don’t like to read...give it a try, or get some audio books. The escape is fun. You might learn something, find some cool quotes or even after rereading it discover something you may have missed.
Now I have more than enough time to work on those crafts I’ve neglected. Some people are saying that they do not have a hobby or all the craft stores are closed. I can tell you this, I can still get glue and newspaper. Paper mache is fun, and cardboard can be had for some cool projects you find online.
See, it’s a matter of perspectives really. I mean look at some of the things our ancestors had to endure. I look at what it must have been like for the refugees fleeing Vietnam and possibly not finding a welcome or a home. I think of people like my grandmother that was home with her mother not knowing what was happening to her husband while he was in the Navy in WWII and then hearing on the radio that Pearl Harbor was attacked (That’s where he was stationed). I think of my Grandparents when their children went off to Vietnam. I think of the families that had sons who didn’t graduate from High School because of Vietnam. I think of my grandparents that grew up in the Great Depression, and sure it was hard, but they always had each other. Nothing is so permanent or so dire that says we are all doomed. It’s a matter of perspective I guess. I grew up with little at first. I mean when my father was stationed in Korea, we didn’t have a place to live at first, mom, my brother, and I. We weren’t on a housing list. We finally got a furnished trailer in Nashville. We had to “make do” a lot. That’s a concept of what is called upcycling, repurposing etc. I remember that summer my mom was reading the Hobbit. I asked her to read me some of it. That began a tradition that got us through many moves. She made up voices for the character and we became adept at stalling bedtimes by saying “Can we say goodnight to Bilbo?” And she would say goodnight in Bilbo’s voice, then Gimli, Elrond etc…...Gandalf would cut in and shut off the whole thing lol. But we made do.
When we moved to our next duty station, we had no furniture. We had a foam rubber mattress. That was it. It was summer too, this time Dad was in more training classes. There we were...no furniture. It was sad. Not EVEN a TV. There were some wonderful people though. Dad made our couch and my brother’s bed. I got a used bed. Eventually things just over time got better. But I learned valuable lessons, I learned how to laugh when times get tough, I learned to find the strength in me to overcome struggles and that everything or almost everything is not permanent.
The biggest inspiration in my life, though, would be Corrie Ten Boom. Her home became a refuge for Jews in WWII in Holland. Eventually her family was caught. Her father died, and Corrie and her sister were sent to a Concentration Camp. Her sister died there. Corrie lived in some of the harshest conditions, I like to think what she would say if I complained that my home was a prison.
The other great inspiration in my life is Joni Eareckson Tada. Here’s a woman who at the age of 17 had a diving accident that damaged her spine and left her a quadriplegic. Through her struggles, even if something becomes permanent there are ways to actually live without just merely surviving. She eventually had a man come alongside and marry her, they struggled together, and even after 52 years since her accident she remains an inspiration of learning how to rejoice and rest in God. She even had Stage III breast cancer. You’d think she’d been through enough.
My mother though was and always will be the one that helped me become self-reliant. She taught me to be happy where I am. That being happy is not a feeling it is what you do. Thinking about my home as a prison I can not do. Oh, some days I think how nice it would be to go somewhere, but then the red-wing blackbird on my porch calls or the cardinals are at my feeder, or the squirrel is sitting right outside my door teasing the cats, and even after I have walked through the house a hundred times, the sunlight makes a neat pattern on my plants and I think, “I have a bed tonight. Tomorrow is not promised to me, all I have is today. I can think of this as a prison or I can think of it as my safe haven. It can be my castle.”
So, if you are still in some phase of Quarantine, or just feeling in a funk.. turn on your favorite tunes and dance wildly, or go to Pandora and look up some French café tunes and make a little cafe for yourself. Find ways to make pleasant memories through it all for you, your kids, or the stories you will tell to your grand-kids someday. My home is not a prison, it is the canvas of my imagination, make your home your canvas for your imagination. Oh, and maybe in our standard future prepping kit we stock up on some paints, coloring books and some crafts we might want to have a go at when you’re stuck at home. Be Flamazing my friends, find the flamboyant within you. Hey, you can even start a book even if you never publish it, you can start it. This is not a prison, this is finding your inner creativity and your inner make do spirit.
