A Dash of Words with Loleta Abi Romance Author

The Writer’s Wheel 5/3/2020: When Everything Becomes a Chore

Loleta Abi

When you stay at home day-after-day, things become stale and unrestful. Especially during a quarantine. Now, that things are lifting some, it’ll be good to get out. However, let’s talk about what happens to those left behind in these times.

Things You Love Become a Bore.

It doesn’t matter what you do, do enough of it without a break, and it becomes boring. Watching TV, I’m sure has taken a damper on those of us who’ve been left with nothing else to do during this crisis. Even mixing it up with some movies doesn’t help much. When we’re kept from doing other things, it begins to wear on our minds when we’ll be able to get back to those activities.

Yes, even work. We begin to miss the office. Soon even our boss and coworkers. Things take a downhill slide when we can’t see them in person, chat beside the water cooler. Although, I’m sure with all of this, those days are long gone. Water coolers and in-person, I mean. Office life will change just like everything else out there. Social distancing must become a normal thing if we’re to get through this.

Back to the Chores.

How much did anyone get done during everything? Did you accomplish goals that you always wished you had time for? I got less done than what I wanted. I thought, for one, I’d have more time for reading but just the opposite became true. Same with writing. While a sinus infection kept me down, I lost track on projects I meant to do, books I meant to read. I’m trying to make up for that now but it’s taking longer than I thought to get back into everything.

How about all of you? Did you write much while things were happening? Have you gone back to doing so since? Are the words coming like before or is it grinding to say the least? Don’t worry, for most of us, it’ll take a little while and then we’ll be flying down the writing trail again. The gears just need to turn. A story has to capture our interest again. We need to shake the day-to-day burdens away.

How about reading? Are you conquering your tbr pile? Have you been unable to read? Try a few paragraphs at a time to pick up the usual pace until you’re sailing along. Reading can help us escape daily problems. Lord knows that we all have enough on our minds right now. I started back to reading the end of last week and I’ve found it soothing and distracting from life’s worry.

Will We Ever Get Back to Where We Were?

Probably not the life we knew. The pandemic will require some adjustments for all. The sight of masks is becoming more familiar as is the practice of social distancing. I hope the downturn in jobs doesn’t last but I can’t foresee companies or factories putting workers back into the same routines of their jobs. With social distancing, how can they pass things between them? Can places rearrange to six feet apart? Restaurants need to have menus delivered and orders taken. Can they do that? Haircutting six feet away? How? Things just don’t make sense.

I don’t want to see professions disappear. I don’t want walks in a public park to go away forever. I’d like to visit others again. The truth is: humans need other humans. To keep ourselves sane. To keep the staleness from creeping in. Not saying that some alone time isn’t wanted but we do need social instances as well. If only to keep our hearts full and our fingers full of inspirations for our stories.

Have a great week, take care, and God bless!