Ruminations on Lockdown

Upon reaching the somewhat dubious milestone of one whole quarter-year without seeing another familiar human being, I have been reflecting on lessons learned in COVID lockdown. Actually, several of these lessons were initially learned during my extended hike across the USA, but are worth reiterating since they are very much relevant in the current circumstances.

• I cannot cut my own hair. FACT. I tried this. Nobody is complaining, but it’s good to know.
• Video calls are not as terrifying as telephone calls.
• The restorative power of a hot shower and a set of clean clothes grows exponentially with the number of days spent without them. Whilst this is not an excuse, per se, for going without a shower for 4 days, there are certain benefits.
• I’m actually a hugger. A quiet one. (They’re the worst.)
• Second-order thinking is a legitimate (and probably underrated) use of time.
• It is not only possible, but perfectly reasonable, to experience giggling hysteria, mortal terror, profound sadness, and overwhelming joy not only within the same day, but sometimes within the same 2 hour period.
• Sometimes it is necessary to just lie on the ground and look up at the sky/ceiling/your eyelids.
• Anything that is worth doing is worth doing badly.
• If there is no pressing need to put on pants, I probably won’t.