Rhonda Walker
ONE THING I LEARNED DURING QUARANTINE:
That I won’t die of boredom if I’m not burning the candles at both ends taking on so many commitments and responsibilities. And that it’s okay to slow down and be still and spend more time at home doing anything or nothing. I’ve cooked more, played silly games with my husband like Giant Jenga, learned I really “don’t” need a gym membership after committing to workout classes on Zoom from my living room, I’ve relaxed on the patio, enjoyed doing my own manicures and reconnected with why I chose the home I bought over a decade ago and just how much I love being there.
IT ALL STARTED WHEN:
We were all ordered to stay home, abruptly cancelling dozens of meetings, events and commitments I had on my daily calendar. A typical day for me prior to the stay home order was work for 9 hours from 3:30am – 12:30pm then a host of afternoon meetings for my charity (Rhonda Walker Foundation) or boards I serve and then evening speaking engagements or more board and committee meetings for the many organizations I volunteer with. While scheduling quality time with my husband for date nights and carving out girls' night out dates. It left my life with little downtime, sleep or relaxing at home. When my husband I needed to relax we scheduled it in the form of a vacation to get away from all our commitments and responsibilities for a few days.
SO THE LESSON HERE IS:
It’s okay to give myself permission to schedule time at home, just to relax, cook, play games, watch TV shows and movies, read a book or do nothing at all. The stay home order allowed me to do this without the guilt of telling anyone requesting my time, no, which I struggle with. And from here I will schedule “me time” and more down time to stay home and enjoy more time with my husband especially now that we quarantined purchased more patio furniture and home stuff😊
Evrod Cassimy
ONE THING I LEARNED DURING QUARANTINE:
How much I truly enjoy writing and recording music and sharing it with others.
IT ALL STARTED WHEN:
I was stuck in the house after being sick and spent a lot of time writing well in the wee hours of the night. I decided to share a song I recorded before quarantine with a friend of mine. He absolutely loved it and just so happens to be a radio personality. Later the next day he texted me that my song was about to debut on radio. I couldn’t believe it! I ran to my car with my youngest son who I just happened to be rocking to sleep at the time. He was quickly wide awake and as we turned on the car, we heard daddy’s newest song on the radio. It was the most incredible feeling!
SO THE LESSON HERE IS:
Do what you love. This time is scary for people who have no idea what’s next, have lost their job and are unsure how they’re going to pay their bills. But don’t forget to take a moment for yourself during this time and do something that brings you joy. You never know where it might take you.
Ben Bailey
ONE THING I LEARNED DURING QUARANTINE:
How to code. I know it's a meme, and I can't really do anything productive yet, but it does make me feel smarter.
IT ALL STARTED WHEN:
I was still running around my parents' house in footie pajamas. We got a Commodore 64 for Christmas. Anyone remember playing Zork? I learned BASIC back then, made a run at C# awhile back, and now digging into some Python and SQL.
SO THE LESSON HERE IS:
Online learning is so easy and rewarding now. Between YouTube videos and just being able to Google your question and getting an immediate fix, you can teach yourself nearly anything... for free!