Back in January, I came up with the subject of More Experiences and Fewer Possessions.  I had no idea what would happen to our world. I envisioned cleaning out the closets and taking trips to places I’d never been.

Well, here we are – someplace we’ve never been.  In my lifetime, and many others, we’ve never experienced a pandemic.  We’ve never been stuck at home, washing groceries and wearing masks.

Since it is spring and the weather has been good (next week excepted), we’ve been taking the dog for a walk during the day. Such is the life of a retiree or a lot of people stuck at home.  But the world has changed.

Walking around the neighborhood where we’ve lived for almost 24 years, we traveled our normal route.  A pickup pulled into a drive and a couple got out.  We’ve waived to them before, never knowing their names, but the woman climbed out and held up her bag of treasures. “Walmart has toilet paper!” she exclaimed.  We talked to these almost-strangers from a safe distance for a few minutes and I thought about how we’ve lived less than a mile apart in a residential neighborhood and never knew each other.

Around the corner and nearing home, there was a young family in their yard.  I know they are new to the neighborhood.  The boy and mother played basketball on the driveway while the father sat in a lawn chair and the girl wrestled with two small dogs.  Of course, her dogs wanted to meet our dog and away they ran. “No, Yoda! Get back here, Chewie!” Dogs don’t care about social distancing. After they nosed for a minute, we resumed our walk while the neighbors corralled their dogs and they told us to have a good day. New neighbors we might not have met otherwise.

More people are out walking, riding bikes and working on manicured lawns.  I’ve been setting a goal to clean something everyday (something that doesn’t get cleaned very often).  I planted some kale my sister-in-law gave me and cleaned out the flowerbed from last year.  I have three petunias that didn’t die over the winter.  I may transplant them into pots.  There is Moss Rose coming up in another pot from the previous year.  Since going to a greenhouse doesn’t seem essential to me, I’ll make do with what I have.

I may not take the trips I had planned for my retirement years.  I may be forced to stay home. But I will still have some new experiences.  Getting to know neighbors and regreening my yard.  Any way you look at it, I will survive!

While you’re stuck at home, read a book, or write a book.  Enjoy your own patio and try to not get down about this mess.

What are you reading this week?