Hmmm, does this sound familiar?
I don’t know why, but I’m soooo tired. I’m dragging my butt to get through the day.
It is a common lament these days. I am officially anointing it as Lockdown Languor. If that does not work for you, perhaps Pandemic Punch Drunk works. It is an oxymoron, but true, that doing nothing can be exhausting. (One could ask: Is it the effort it takes to not ask why that is sapping our energy? But that’s another story.)
How do we combat this mental drain? I am testing three strategies.
Strategy 1: Facebook Quota
I am limiting myself to a 5 minute scan of Facebook per day. Facebook is no longer a social networking site. It has become a forum for the airing of grievances and venting repressed frustrations from things unspoken. The vast majority of posts relate to two topics: 1) Donald Trump (pro and con) 2) The pandemic and the related restrictions (pro and con).
Some social media platforms have banished Trump from their sites. But unless Facebook changes its algorithms to filter out Trump references, it will still be for all intents and purposes Trumpbook. Even when he officially vacates the White House, he will keep himself a social media obsession. It is what he does best.
Strategy 2: The Canadian Game
I am planning to wholeheartedly embrace the new NHL season as a step toward the return to normal we all crave. The World Juniors Hockey Tournament over the holidays was a welcome reprieve in that regard. The commentators’ constant references to the special pandemic precautions notwithstanding, it got my head in a better space for a few hours.
I realize there will be no fans in the arenas as was the case for the Big Bubble Playoffs earlier this year. But I can get used to that. I really need to see something bucking the trend and getting back on track even if it is in a pared down capacity.
Strategy 3: Conversational Blinders
I will not participate in conversations about the big three watercooler topics: Trump, politics (of all sorts, but American in particular) and the pandemic. There are other things to talk about. We just have to make the effort.
So, if we happen to pass in the street as our bubbles overlap (as unlikely as that is given the current restrictions), please do not attempt to engage me about those topics. If you have nothing else on your mind, just give me a friendly, social distanced wave and keep walking. I apologize in advance if that sounds rude or antisocial. There are times when silence is simply better.
We are living a zero gravity existence in our bubbles and I am tired of it. I am putting my feet back on the ground.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: bubble · COVID-19 · Donald Trump · lockdown · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · pandemic · zero gravityNo Comments