You’re not alone!  At least one-third of the global population is under some form of “stay at home” or lock down restrictions.  Perhaps in no other time in history have we seen this much of humanity being asked (or ordered) to limit their movement beyond their own front door.  This has led to tremendous changes for millions of people with schools closed, malls, restaurants, bars, movie theaters and most other retail establishments like hair salons, gyms and clothing stores all closed as well.  Of course, this has led to millions of stories of quarantine and lock down.

Our story:  On March 15, we accompanied our friend Steve on a trip to his house in Lake Tahoe.  He planned a short trip to transport some items that they would need for their summer visit.  We thought we might have an opportunity to ski since there was a winter storm forecast for the Sierra Mountains.  Before we arrived, we learned that the ski resorts and casinos around Lake Tahoe were being closed that day.  As the week progressed we did experience a significant winter storm with substantial snow accumulation and we learned that more and more lock down restrictions were being implemented.  It became clear that whatever plans we had would need to be changed.

Steve and Wende generously offered us the opportunity to quarantine in their home in Tahoe.  So on March 21, we rode with Steve back to Southern California.  The next day we packed up our vehicle and headed back to Tahoe.  With the ski resorts and casinos closed, the population in this area of the lake would be quite low so it seemed like a good place to ride out this period of lock down and social distancing with a lower risk of exposure to the virus.  Initially, our goal was to pass 14 days of total quarantine to assure ourselves that we had not already been infected.  We did continue our daily walk through the local neighborhood but often did not encounter any other people, even when we did see others we were no less than 20 feet away.  We passed that 14 day milestone in early April.

So now, like virtually everyone else, we will continue to isolate.  We are well supplied with food and paper products.  We have added to our food supply recently by utilizing Walmart “click and collect”, ie. order online and pick up outside the store.  You don’t necessarily get everything you want but it minimizes any exposure to other people.  We have tried to introduce variety to our daily schedule but Valerie has referred to the situation as “groundhog day”.  I’m sure you all can relate.  We are striving to make our one jig-saw puzzle last as long as possible and we are practicing daily meditation.  There are certainly worse places where we might have to ride this out so we remain supremely grateful to Steve and Wende for allowing us to be here in this beautiful place.

As it relates to the virus, perhaps you also like to look at the numbers related to the progression of this disease around the world or closer to home.  I have recently found two data analytics software companies that have aggregated various data sources and dashboards that utilize their software.  Search for the following (I’d rather not include links):

Tableau Software Coronavirus

Domo Software Coronavirus Tracker

Power through.  Be kind to each other.  Wash your hands.  Be safe.  May you be free from stress and anxiety.