It’s grey, cloudy and cold and the pandemic has curbed out social activities. How we will cope with this again? Usually we can distract ourselves with concerts, drinks with friends, hockey games and the always popular Sunday brunch. In the spring, we did sourdough, Netflix and competitive toilet paper shopping. Here are some options for this winter.
Find a crafty hobby – sift through Pinterest for ideas on this and then organize curbside pick up from Michael’s. (always look for a coupon before shopping).
Paint your place – consider intricate stenciling or interesting patterns. Head to Apartment Therapy for ideas on this.
Research travel destinations – YouTube has virtual tours of many of world’s best destinations. Build itineraries on one of the travel sites. Eventually, we will be able to go somewhere and you will be ready.
Learn an instrument – pick up where you left off in high school band or learn something new altogether. Many music schools are offering live, interactive instruction using Zoom. You could be ready to lead the sing along at your first spring outdoor gathering.
Find religion – it used to be that only mega-churches broadcast their services but now, lots of different faith groups are live streaming their services. Many of them are free to join – no strings attached. I have found some peace and comfort attending weekly services from the comfort of my couch.
Get a new job – use your evening time to research, network and refresh your resume. (I had to fit that in somewhere……)
Take a Course – I am not advocating that you sign up for your PhD but there may be time to learn out to project manage or code in a new language or mediate better. Coursera and Masterclass are only two platforms offering great courses.
Get a big ass tv – you can’t spend all your time looking at a laptop. Non- work stuff should happen on a different device. Sometimes a tablet works but sometimes a big screen with big sound is what you need.
These are just some ideas – there are many more. Tuck them away for a cold, wet day or get started now. Just know that you don’t have to lie on the couch watching NCIS reruns all winter.
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