I already know that I am a life long learner. I am, well, I wouldn’t say obsessed, necessarily, but I love learning new things. I love reading things that open my mind to new possibilities. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve recently enjoyed learning more about Stoicism – it’s so interesting when you find a philosophy that largely aligns with your own.
But anyway, I digress.
I have learned so much about myself in the last week.
Since pretty much everything changed – businesses closed or restricted their hours; we started working almost exclusively from home; our students were told they are not coming back to campus this semester, nor are they getting an in-person graduation.
The small changes that I have had to make in my life have been challenging, but I’ve been fortunate that so far they’ve been relatively minor. All that said, though, I have learned a lot about myself this week.
- I am truly a gym rat. Seriously. I love the gym. I don’t dislike exercising outside, but I vastly prefer working out in a gym. It fits much better with my personality – the need to set up parameters and then meet them on a daily basis. That’s harder when you’re kind of making it up as you go along, while accommodating the end (thank goodness) of winter in the upper Midwest.
- I am much stronger than I realized. Physically and mentally. While I am low-grade anxious most of the time (mostly related to the ability to find… vegetables, hummus, and salsa… we now know where my priorities lie), I have not devolved to panic. Physically? I’ve been doing new and different workouts and it’s tested my body in ways that I hadn’t tested it in a long time. I always thought I was too wimpy or weak to do many things. Turns out I was wrong. Huh. Imagine that. Ha!
- I thought I knew how much I detested the “president” of our country. I was wrong. I can’t say that I truly hate him, but… I hate his actions, his disregard for the medical and nursing professionals on the front lines, whom he has refused to help to the greatest extent of his abilities. I hate that he openly questions public health and infectious disease experts. I hate his ignorance, his racist attitudes, and his misogyny. I thought I knew the depths of my dislike… now I realize I had only skimmed the surface. He may be our downfall, unless we all realize what a complete moron he is and don’t follow his “advice” (although we already know that will not happen.
- I learned that even though I am the world’s introvertiest introvert (is that a phrase?) I still love to connect with people, even briefly, throughout the day. Not being able to see my colleagues and students in person is more difficult than I realized it would be.
- I learned that life does go on during social distancing, just in different ways. Thank goodness for the internets, for virtual connections in these tumultuous times. Thank goodness that the “president’s” term is almost over. Time passes. Things will eventually improve. Spring will come.