On Taking Time Off During a Pandemic

(posted in blog)

My official last day at my current job is March 31st. What a curious time to be taking time off from work. My departure was one of those mutually agreed upon things. I was not happy, they needed change, here I am.

I had plans: travelling, reading, learning Rust, re-doing this very website, and many other things. Social distancing by staying the fuck home to flatten the curve was most definitely not in my plans, here I am.

Time to pause and to recall a simple yet powerful statement:

Everywhere you go, there you are.
This quote looks to be oft misattributed to Confucius but seems to actually be from much later. I learned it (slight variation) from the Jon Kabat-Zinn book Wherever You Go, There You Are or maybe it is actually from Buckaroo Bonzai.

Being home alone without work to provide distraction, social engagements, gossip, rumors, and lies is a tough spot. Being naturally inclined to an analytical mind is not always the gift that I wish it was.

A partial list of things that I have done to try and not die of pandemic-induced anxiety:

  • Playing through God of War on the PS4
  • Reading, though I am usually a voracious reader I have been struggling to fall into books as I usual do
  • Cleaning the house - this is an exercise with diminshing returns at this point
  • Listening to a lot of great Ambient music
  • Agonizing over which food item to cook & eat for each meal
  • Watching Seven Worlds, One Planet
It turns out that there are a lot of hours in the day and a lot of days in the week. Time is both crawling and flying by.

Stay safe and stay the fuck home.