Living that Tower Life Like Rapunzel

Although many of you have been practicing social distancing since the weekend, today felt like the first real social distancing day for me. I should have been at work at 6:00 am this morning to process shipment. Instead I slept in this morning and started wondering what in the world I would do all day and for the next couple weeks. That's when it hit me that all of us are about to experience what life was like for Rapunzel trapped in that tower. On a happy note, she provides lots of great ideas of what you can do to pass the time.

Here are some suggested activities to do to pass the day per Rapunzel:

• Sweep 'til the floor's all clean
• Polish and wax
• Laundry
• Mop and shine up
• Sweep again 

Once done with all those chores, Rapunzel provides some more entertaining items on her activity list:

• Read a book...or maybe two or three
• Add a few new paintings to your gallery
• Play guitar 
• Knit
• Cook
• Puzzles
• Darts (be careful!) 
• Baking
• Paper mache
• Ballet 
• Chess (and so many other games!)
• Pottery 
• Ventriloquy (ummm... okay...)
• Candle making
• Stretch
• Sketch
• Take a climb
• Sew a dress
• Brush and brush and brush and brush your hair 

Rapunzel starts her day at 7:00 am. I used to do that, but then we changed the clocks. Now, I continually wake up after 8:00 am. First task to tackle on this self distancing journey: getting back to the 7:00 am wake up routine.

Once I finally dragged myself out of bed, first on the agenda was getting in some exercise. I dusted off the old Nintendo Wii, popped in the Michael Jackson Experience, and started dancing the morning away. Per Rapunzel's suggestions, I also should have stretched... I did not...

Next on the list was cooking. Today, I decided to tackle Keto friendly chocolate chip waffles. They were Mickey shaped (of course!) and delicious. The recipe was from Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan, and you can order her cookbook from Amazon. By the way, if any of you are missing the Disney theme parks and Mickey shaped waffles, you can buy the Mickey waffle maker I own from ShopDisney It makes 6 waffles at a time, and they are the exact size and shape as the ones sold at restaurants throughout Disney resorts. A little piece of Walt Disney World and Disneyland right at home!

By the time I was done with breakfast, it was about 10:30 am. Oh goodness, this was going to be a long couple of days. I know there are many of you reading this who are totally content laying around watching Netflix all day. I am not that person. Based on past experiences (i.e. 7.5 week medical leave), I get bored easily. I work two jobs partly because I just always need to be busy with something.

Luckily, I work in a small office which means I ventured into the office for a bit to stay motivated and up to date on all the changes happening rapidly in the real estate industry as a result of COVID-19. Don't worry, even with only 2-3 of us in the office, we still practiced social distancing...

 

(Side note: I have also determined that makeup is not necessary at this time.)

While working at the office, the news was released that the Governor of Florida was ordering the closure of all bars and nightclubs at 5:00 pm today, and restaurants were required to a max of 50% capacity. With the tide of things so quickly change, we ventured out for a late lunch at our favorite spot, Clear Sky Draught Haus, across the street for what may be the last time for a while. On the way back to the office, we continued to be in high spirits and channeled the Beatles when in the crosswalk (also worked great at maintaining acceptable social distances).

Once I returned home in the late afternoon, I knew I would be home for the rest of the night... no place to go, right? So it was time for some at home pampering! While relaxing with a face mask, it hit me that I won't be opening boxes upon boxes for a few weeks which means I could paint my nails and not have it be a waste of time! #Bonus!

I decided one way to make good use of my extra time was to work on finishing projects I started but never finished. So after months, I am excited to announce I finally finished knitting a pair of baby booties. Those cutie only took me about as long as it takes a human to grow a baby. So... win?

As you can see, my day was a mix of activities and work. As of now, it is my plan to get through the next few weeks without going crazy. Take note that I am finishing this blog post at about 7:00 pm. The rest of the night will be a usual evening for me, though. Relax, watch some TV, read a book, play the ukulele, color, and do a Soduku puzzle or two. The secret is out... each night I channel a 6-year-old and a 60-year-old. #sorrynotsorry

How was everyone's day of social distancing? What fun activities did you do today?

Stay strong! Be safe! Wash your hands! Don't touch your face!

Just Keep Swimming

Let's face it in the last week, a lot has changed. A LOT. Just over a week ago, COVID-19 aka Coronavirus was a news story popping up on social media feeds, a reminder that we all need to be better about washing our hands, and a real concern overseas, not in the US. Within a matter of days, the number of cases escalated quickly, and we went from business as usual to working from home, schools closing, events being cancelled, and the temporary closing of theme parks, stores, bars and restaurants. Now, all of us have quickly learned what social distancing is and doing our best to do just that. (Although, if you're an introvert like me, you've probably been training for social distancing your whole life...)

 

I am not going to use this blog to start discussing COVID-19 or anything related to that. First of all, I am not a doctor. Second, there is plenty of videos, articles, and opinions on that... every where. Instead, I'll take some time to discuss what I am doing outside of real estate work to socially distance myself to entertain you and give you some ideas of things to do when the boredom sets in. 

Having worked all weekend, today was really my first day off, which means it felt like a fairly normal day. I spent it getting a few errands done as quickly as possible. I picked up some supplies for a home project I've been meaning to do for months and will finally get done in the next few days (stay tuned...), grocery shopping (no, I didn't panic buy - grocery stores are not closing, there is not a food shortage, stay calm, folks), laundry (because that's never going away), some real estate work on the computer, and lastly playing the ukulele (when everything is changing just keep calm and jam on). In all honesty, it was a pretty average day off for me. Don't worry though, future posts will be way more exciting than today.

I know many people are disappointed, frustrated, and upset about cancelled plans, vacations, and events. Social distancing may seem extreme and crazy to some, but it does help and will make a difference. It's not a new concept, and during the 1918 Flu Pandemic, social distancing proved to help slow the spread of the virus and save lives. Embrace the time at home with your family, stay calm, and just keep swimming.

To end today's post, I will leave you with something to make you smile - penguins at the Shedd Aquarium on a field trip. 😃🐧