Today Sean and Emily came to pick me up to go back to the cottage. The last few days alone in the city have been really nice. I’ve enjoyed seeing friends a safe distance and rediscovering the city’s beauty on my bike. Looking forward to being back in the woods. Sean and I have been together 24hours a day since the start of March so after a few days apart, I can’t wait to hug him. He said the mosquitos are in full force which is a bit worrying but I’ll fight them the best I can. Little buggers! This week, I’m hoping to get back into my creative groove and make some things. I hope the weather stays nice and I can get out for my first paddleboard session of the season. It looks like it might be a bit rainy which almost always makes me feel like writing or making something. I’ve had a lot of anxiety about the pandemic over the past few days which I know is normal, but it doesn’t make it go away. Over the past few weeks, I’ve found happiness in simple things like drawing, embroidery, making clothes, or cut & paste. Each little activity helps to distract from the news and find a bit of joy. I hope you can find happiness in simple things and use what you have around you to inspire your creativity in new ways. Please stay safe and wear a mask!

Fitting that the 20th post in this series is being written in 2020. It’s been a while since I wrote one of these. This year started out pretty good, we woke up January 1st at the cottage and six days later I was in Cuba. The month flew by and I saw a lot of friends in February. Little did we know what March would bring and now, April is almost over and the world is a different place. We’re in a global pandemic, the death toll is rising everyday, people are out of work, businesses are collapsing. Yesterday 19 22 people died in a mass shooting in Nova Scotia. It’s a lot to process. I feel tired, sad, grief. I woke up overwhelmed by it all. I’m cold, my arm aches, maybe it’s the weather? I didn’t workout today. All I want to do is lay on the couch, read, or watch a movie that makes me feel warm inside. Around noon, I pulled myself together and put on a nicer sweatsuit for a trip to the post office. It was the first time I’d driven somewhere alone since lockdown. My weighted blanket of anxiety was heavy on my chest as I got in the truck and backed out the driveway. Why did I feel so nervous? I’m an experienced driver, I’ve driven the truck on the these roads heaps. I had a mask and gloves, my tracking numbers. You have to mentally and physically prepare every time you leave the house right now, plan your route, give yourself extra time. It’s hard to adjust to the way things are right now. Some days I’m happy in the isolation bubble, creating, making things, then days like today, it all hits me and I’m filled with anxiety. It’s ok to…

The news today is a very sobering reality of just how intense this situation is. I have been watching the live news reports on CP24 from 1 pm-3 pm and my chest is tight with anxiety. It is hard to believe the world we are living in, it’s not a movie or simulation, this is real life. It’s heartbreaking. Ontario alone could see 15K deaths and over 1M cases have been recorded around the world. Today I sent a couple of invoices for the last round of work I did and to be honest, I’m not sure what’s next? This Day in History: Covid-19 The Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic was declared on March 11, 2020. I am putting this information here as a reminder to look back on one day when this is all over (it has been floating around on Facebook). Premier Ford said we are looking at 2 years for this to fully be over and once the first round of the virus starts to ease up, we could see a second and third wave. There are now 11,283 Confirmed Cases in Canada on this day with 173 deaths. Gas prices are at a record low 68 cents.  School cancelled since March 13th until May 1st (kids aren’t likely going back until September) Self-distancing measures on the rise. Tape on the floors at grocery stores and other stores to help distance shoppers 2m from each other. Limited number of people inside stores, with 1 per family, therefore lineups are outside the store doors. Hand washing stations in the Store Entrances and Pexi-glass barriers installed around the Cashiers/Check-out Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed. Parks, trails, entire cities locked up. Entire sports seasons cancelled. Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events – cancelled. Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings – cancelled. No…