It’s been, I don’t know, two months since we all went on lockdown due to Covid-19? I am one of the lucky ones, in that, I can teach college classes from home and I write and crochet within the comfort of my own beloved spaces. I’m an introvert by nature, so this whole staying home thing has not been difficult on me. What has been difficult is laying awake and worrying at night. I worry for my husband, who has diabetes and is a person of color. I worry about my children, one of whom has pretty severe asthma. I worry–but only the most minor sense–for myself, because I have myasthenia gravis. I’ve experienced respiratory distress before. I know how terrifying it is. And I feel awful for the people who have no work at all or, like many of my students, who have fallen ill to this.
But through all of this stress, I’ve tried to write and to be creative. I’ve gotten about 10,000 words into a new novel, and I’ve seen my students learn and grow in ways that they weren’t learning and growing at in-person school. The micro focus that Zoom teaching creates has its advantages, even if the scenery never changes.
I’ve had to make other ammendments to my goals, though, and this has sometimes brought some stress. I want to be writing 2000 words a day, but several days this week already I have not sat down to move my characters from point C to point D. I want to, sometimes, do more than my tired brain and body are capable of doing. Sometimes, I can only plot and other times I can flesh that out.
I have found solace in reading, too. I’ve plowed through several novels and a couple nonfiction books during this (very busy for me) pandemic. I have written a lot, even if it much of it isn’t on one singular project. I have created a lot of new patterns as well, and I discovered Premier Non-Pilling Yarn, and now my heart swells when I think about it. I’m working on a spiral sweater right now. Yeah, you read that right. Wait till you see it. It’s a giant circle that will get folded and seamed into arms and a neck hole. You’ll see. I had plans to ship out summer yarn kits and to have whole books completed by May, and that my Submittable account would be on fire. Alas, my brain can only process so much content in one day, and on the days when I watch the news, that process is sluggish like my Wholefoods order that just arrived today–two months late and 50% short.
So, what does the lazy crocheter have for you, My Dear Readers? A new pattern. It should be up and ready for your perusal next week sometime. There will be no yarn with it though. It’ll be the kind of project you assemble with what you have laying around. I know, you’ll believe it when you see it, but here’s a snippet.
Also, here are a few other things that have helped me to survive:
And Zoom Shabbat services with my tiny, happy synagogue. Yes, I should be working on my own novel, but you can’t do everything. I’ll get there when I get there. For now, I have to get my latest Aldi delivery. CHOCOLATE WAFERS!!
How are you all passing the time?