I took the trouble to register as a Democrat so that I could help Mayor Pete on his road to the White House. Our trip to Indiana would not interfere with going to the polls, so we didn't need absentee ballots. It would be a giant loop - to the post office, to the church to vote, to the library - before we left to see the grandkids in person.
Then we opted to shelter in place. I wore my pajamas. I made comfort food for breakfasts. I ventured out to the pool in the back and opened the door for the mail carrier in the front, but that was it. I found myself without motivation; I think it's the edge of depression trying to creep out from behind the Sertraline wall.
The medication can do only so much. The rest is on me. So, I've been swimming until my heart is racing and I can't do another lap. I start my day with Pilates mat exercises (10 pieces for 20 minutes total and in 30 days I'll have a new body!) and today I'm adding a brisk walk in the neighborhood (the Pilates Diva tells me that the parks and the paths are crowded with like minded movers).
Getting my blood going is the best non-chemical antidote to malaise I've found. Drop and give me 20 is TBG's go-to answer when the kids or I were moping. It's a cheap, easy, internal locus of control way to reset my brain. So, when I started to panic about going out to vote, I should have done some push ups.
Instead, I took a box of sanitizer wipes and left the gas pump a much cleaner place than it was when we arrived. At the polling place, we parked in a socially distant spot and refused to sign the petition gatherer's form. Trading my license with the first poll worker was only slightly more awkward than receiving my ballot from the second. There were no wipes in the booth but not to worry - mine were still wet enough to wipe down the pen and the part of the paper I'd be touching.
I debated taking my I Voted sticker from the final poll worker. I love those stickers. I received mine with a wet wipe, debated putting it on my shirt or my purse, then tossed it in a trash can on the way to the car.
This is really impacting every little corner of my world.
I can relate. The clean hands obsession is making everything complicated. did I, should I, touch that? Don't bring any germs into the house, wipe down the steering wheel, the door handles, the doorknob. Sanitize hands before going into the house, then wash again. I need to be able to go for a walk but my back is still trying to recover from overdoing it in the garden. I work to keep my spirits up. Hope you can too.
ReplyDeleteI walked up and down my block, which is always empty in the afternoon. I wiped everything I touched to go in or out. I'm thinking about having a dedicated surface for incoming mail, newspaper (the news is toxic... has a whole new meaning, eh?). It's evolving.
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We registered for early voting when we got our drivers' licenses. They mail you a ballot, vote from home! It's a good thing. Can you change your preference on-line to that? It's so much easier.
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