Tower Life... Day ... Ummm... What day is it?

I have not posted recently about what I have been doing to pass the time while social distancing, and honestly the last few days have all been fairly similar as I worked out a new routine. One thing is for sure, no matter what I just keep swimming and remain grateful for all the good still surrounding us.

As most of you know, I am a Realtor®, and I am lucky enough to work for a brokerage, eXp Realty, that is completely virtual which means we have always been set up to be able to work from home easily and efficiently. That said, I have been spending a lot of time working at home and at the office (with only about 3 of us at the office at the time, we are able to practice social distancing and stay safe). In these changing times, the Floridays team is doing everything we can to still serve our clients and keep the health and safety of everyone our top priority. You can see the video from our team leader, Mark Middleton, explaining exactly what it is we are doing on our Facebook page HERE.

Many have asked me how the real estate market is doing right now. In some ways, things have slowed down. However, I have buyers who are actively looking, and I showed some properties at the end of last week. There are still sellers looking to list their homes. We had a new listing last week, and two more this week so far. With the ability to look at properties online and virtual showings and virtual open houses, there are still many ways to sell real estate and practice social distancing.

Personally, when I have met with buyers for showings, we greeted each other with a wave and a smile. We maintained distances from each other. I traveled with my long-time, loyal companion: hand sanitizer. Honestly, you can see it is well loved, and when I had a buyer tell me they couldn't find any, I gifted them an extra travel size bottle I brought along. To be honest, I have been collecting and storing hand sanitizer for years. I did not panic buy hand sanitizer or soap because it was not necessary. I already had that much stocked up. Will I need to stock up again after this is all over? Yes. Absolutely. 100% yes.

As for life outside of real estate, I really have started to turn into Rapunzel living in her tower. To date, I have completed five puzzles with another in progress, and one and a half books. I made two shirts on the Cricut. I did laundry. I have been cooking. Cleaned and cleaned and sanitized. I've colored. Played Sudoku and Words with Friends. FaceTimed with friends and family.  I have escaped my tower for a few outdoor walks as well for some much need fresh air and sunshine.

If you are like me and still feeling a little stir crazy at times, hang in there. For now, enjoy the time at home with family, play that game you've been meaning to play, do that craft project you bought supplies for months ago, read that book on your shelf, do that at home project you kept putting off. 

I believe as people calm down and adapt to the changes, find their new routine and normal for the time being, things will stabilize and get better. We will bounce back from this. Be kind to one another, take care of each other, and together we can flatten the curve.

Day 2 - The Tower Life Continues...

Today was Day 2 of social distancing. It was the third day I didn't have to go to work, and it started to feel a bit weird. Another day at home, another day of finding ways to keep away the boredom.

First of all, as was pointed out to me yesterday, Rapunzel did meet her husband while living in isolation in her tower, so maybe there was hope for me yet. I decided this morning I would wait to see if my future husband would come bust me out. At 7:45 am, I was tired of waiting and busted myself out for a morning run/walk along the Dunedin Causeway. There were not too many people out that early, so it was fairly easy to maintain social distances. It was a gorgeous morning for a run. It was not my best run, but it was better than being stuck inside all day.

After breakfast, it was time to tackle a new project on my list: adding a second shelf to our laundry area to provide more storage. Proving once again that I don't need no stinking man, I hung these shelves myself with assistance from my mom. (Future Husband - if you're reading this, of course, I need you. Don't abandon me!)

With one of the at home projects complete (this social distancing thing is going to last for a couple weeks, don't want to do it all in one day), I turned to one of my favorite activities to do when passing the time - puzzles. The first one I picked to do was fitting given the recent themes of my blog posts. In the short time I worked on it, I made some decent progress. Yes, I am putting it together on the floor, on top of Magic Carpet. It's the perfect puzzle mat because it flies out of the way when I'm done working on it.

Before you start thinking I forgot about my other job as a Realtor, don't worry I did not. I made a few phone calls today, and in the afternoon with the assistance of my team leader, I had photos taken of a new listing and returned to the office to post the listing in the MLS. That reminds me...

NEW LISTING in New Port Richey, Florida! End unit condo in a wonderful 55+ community! Click on link for info and to contact me to schedule a showing!

I returned home in the early evening ready to relax and prepare for tomorrow. Each day we don't know how things may change, so although I am doing all that I can to "social distance" myself, I am also working hard each day as much as I can to keep my real estate business going.

Since I am not a quitter, I devoted most of the rest of my evening to finishing that puzzle, and while doing that, to catch up with a friend via video chat.

How was your social distancing today? Stay safe, friends!

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. 😃🐧