It’s been a long time, longer than we’d thought. We look back at the first blog posts that mention the coronavirus, and see that back then, we really didn’t know what we were in for.
And it’s going to be a while longer before things are normal.
We hope you get your vaccine soon. Maybe you’ve gotten the first shot already, or even your second. Or maybe you’re in the next group to get it. Gov. Roy Cooper announced a few days ago that starting Feb. 24, the vaccine will be made available to educators and support staff, such as janitors, bus drivers and cafeteria workers. That’s about 240,000 people, possibly including your kids’ teachers – which could change things a lot. Think about it.
But even then, a lot of people (like, hundreds of millions) will have to get the shots before herd immunity is achieved, so you still might be looking for something to do while you social distance.
Not that a lot of you don’t have work to do – from home. We hope you’ve been able to make that work without too much stress in the house. Maybe you’re even one of the lucky few who prefer things this way, and dread going back to the office. Fortunately (or not), for you, that might still be a ways off.
But still, once work is done, there is still time left at home (or your office, however you know look upon your home). So what do you do with it?
The good news is, we’re getting good at this. Or better, anyway. There are lots of things you can do without even leaving Stephens Grove, or your home.
You can watch a movie. There are loads of great ones you haven’t seen, we promise. For instance, we have a friend who’s never seen “High Noon!” Can you imagine that? What? You haven’t seen “High Noon?” In that case, stop what you’re doing, make some popcorn, and sit on the couch. It’s available right now on Amazon Prime.
Or binge a TV show. Did you completely miss out on “Breaking Bad” several years back? Now’s your chance, on Netflix. Or how about something you haven’t even heard of… such as “The IT Crowd.” That’s an enormously hilarious sitcom from Britain – also on Netflix.
Something more serious and purposeful? Read that book someone gave you years ago because you said you wanted to read it. Or finally organize the family photos – or, if you have the equipment for it at home, start digitizing them.
Or work in the yard, if you don’t consider that to be a special torture. And even if you do, you should probably do it, so your neighbors don’t get tired of watching your property fall apart. For instance, right now is the time of year to prune that fig tree. Or whatever needs pruning.
And yes, you still need to exercise. And you don’t have to go to the gym and worry about wiping the coronavirus off the equipment before you touch it.
Or… you can “go” somewhere – without actually going.
We’ve talked about that before, but even if you’ve tried all those places, there’s a big world still out there, and you can reach out and “touch” it in ways your parents never imagined.
There are a couple of ways to approach such a trip beyond the friendly confines of Stephens Grove:
- Go somewhere close by.
- Go somewhere you’d have to take out another mortgage to go to in the “normal” way.
As to the first option, awhile back, we recommended the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, right down the road in Charlotte. Well, this is Black History Month. What better time to make that museum “visit” you never quite got around to before?
And then there’s, you know, the rest of the world. And this way, you’re not limited by time, space, or airline ticket prices. Just speaking museums, the Louvre, the British Museum and the Vatican are all on Manuel Charr’s list of “The Best Free Virtual Tours of Museums in the World.” No, we don’t know who Manuel Charr is, either, but we can assure you that those are awesome museums.
Seriously, don’t complain to us that you have nothing good, and even uplifting, to do. We know better…
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