pod-less in nyc

My good friend in Boston has her whole family (two adult sons, one daughter-in-law, one husband, and one dog named Gus) in her pod.

My sister in NY's pod includes her large and growing family (one husband, one mother-in-law, three sons, two daughters-in-law, one son's girlfriend, and four grandkids).

My mom has her Canasta partners, Ellie her cat, plus my sister's family in her small pod.

My sister in Massachusetts has her husband, her adult son, my mom, one cat named Serena, one dog named Roxy, and too many friends to count in her pod.

And then there's me.  I pretty much live in a pod of one.

But I am not lonely; I am bored.

I sometimes miss restaurants, theaters, and screenings, but I mostly miss just being able to say, "Hey, want to come over and.... (watch a movie, order in, or just hang out)."

I pretty much do the same thing every day.

• Watch at least one movie so I have seen the award-worthy ones in time to cast my BAFTA votes. It's more challenging than it was last year when by this time, I had already received almost 70 DVD's and gone to many private screenings. This year I've gone to no screenings and have only received a handful of DVD's. 

• Catch up with friends (most days).

• Read and watch the news (every day).

• Spend time on the computer (every day).

• Speak to my mom (every day).

• Watch at least two episodes of Black Money Love on Netflix (every day). It's a guilty pleasure, for sure. 164 episodes, in Turkish. I'm currently on episode 114 and still loving it, despite its many flaws.

• Read more of whatever book I've downloaded to my Kindle (every day).

• Play Canasta, either with friends or against the computer (every day).

• Buy food (most days).

• And walk 4-6 miles (4 or 5 times a week). 

        Yesterday was rainy and misty.

    While today was a perfect spring day — no coat required.

So yes. My life has become quite solitary. And boring.

But then I see the numbers.

In the one hour that Meet The Press was on air this morning, 8,580 new cases of COVID-19 were likely diagnosed.

Boredom and solitude are small sacrifices to make if it means staying virus-free — for (hopefully) just a little bit longer.