Quarantine Life

Ever since I survived cancer (lots of chemo and radiation, surgeries, unpleasant hospital stays) I view each day as a gift. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that I have been living like a hermit for years. So quarantine life does not feel like something new and strange to me. So far the biggest disruption to my routine has been quests for toilet paper, which grocery stores only seem to stock now when my husband or I are not there looking for it. Quarantine life feels normal to me, and I am never at a loss to know how to spend the hours. The days still are not long enough to complete all my projects, not to mention for all the reading I want to do and for language study. Yesterday on my short, solitary walk through the snow and mostly deserted streets I thought that 300 years would be insufficient to accomplish everything I dream of doing. COVID-19 is a nightmare. No argument there. Naturally, I wish it had never appeared. However, there is a silver lining for those of us who have not caught it: hours upon hours of quiet time for ourselves away from the usual hustle and bustle of modern life, which offers little in the way of happiness. If I may make a suggestion: be grateful for every day of your quarantined life (if you and yours are not sick and struggling to make ends meet). Life is short, and it could be so much worse.

​© 2020 Alline Cormier