It’s possible to maintain social distance without suffering social isolation. As a writer, I’ve been negotiating the fine line between solitude and loneliness for years, which has come in handy as the coronavirus is keeping us all at home. Finding community while maintaining social distance requires some creative thinking, a touch of technology and a big dose of the out-of-doors.

Rosefire Writers Circle Goes Remote

Last Friday, at the time the Rosefire Writing Circle usually convenes in person, a few of the regulars met via videoconference to test meeting remotely. Zoom allowed us to check in, write together, and read our new work according to our usual format. It was a huge success – in more ways than anticipated. After a week of restricted contact with others, we delighted in seeing and speaking with one another again. We began by checking in. It was a relief both to articulate our own anxieties about the state of the world and to hear others’. This exercise also confirmed that social contact has become an important part of this long-time, on-going writing circle.

Six Feet of Separation Out-of-Doors

Limiting News, Reading Helpful Posts

I’m limiting how much news I read, mostly confining myself to the sobering Corvid-19 statistics that the Vermont Department of Health updates at two every afternoon. Knowing that people are stocking up on guns and hoarding toilet paper only makes me despair about humanity. Instead, I read thoughtful posts that arrive by email, like this one from Ezra Fradkin, Program Director at Kroka, the wilderness school I attended last summer, and another from Martina Tyrrell, blogger at Me In Place.

Koviashuvik

Ezra writes about what the Inuit call “Koviashuvik: living in the present moment with quiet joy and happiness,” by reiterating the Kroka philosophy of cultivating “positive optimism in the face of adversity and appreciation for the resources that sustain us.”

Some Practical Suggestions

Among his practical suggestions are being active outside, where it’s possible to socialize while still avoiding exposure to the virus. He suggests hiking, camping, and splitting and stacking firewood. Tim and I stacked next year’s firewood last weekend; this weekend, we’re going for a hike. See more of Ezra’s ideas here.

For Parents Schooling Children at Home

Martina is an on-line colleague. We met through our blogs and now correspond. She, her husband and their two daughters are currently living in Spain, where the virus is virulent. In response, Martina has started posting advice about homeschooling for those whose kids are expected to continue schoolwork at home. Martina speaks from experience: she spent the first decade of motherhood homeschooling their girls while living aboard and sailing in a 24-foot boat. While I don’t have school-aged children anymore, I can still remember how challenging even snow days were when I had to scramble for childcare. Parents are now expected to help school their kids at home, where they are also trying to maintain their professional lives and income. This sounds really hard. If it also sounds like what you’re up against right now (or you know someone else who is), I highly recommend this post.

A Time for Reflection

As my late father was fond of saying, “It’s difficult to prophesize, especially in regard to the future.” No one knows the arc of this pandemic. My guess is that conditions will get worse for another three to four weeks, and the socio-economic and psychological fallout will last much longer. However, CO2 emissions are also dropping to new lows as people stop commuting and traveling by car and plane. This is a good thing.

If nothing else, this enforced time at home could be a time of contemplation, time to evaluate how we’ve been living our lives, what gives our lives meaning, and time to think about how we might want to change how we will live when this danger has passed.

In the meantime, I wish you all safety and health, ~Deborah