Whether you are stuck in your twenty bedroom mansion with many acres of private grounds or alone in a tiny flat, there are some advantages to being in the majority of the population not allowed to go out. Remember that feeling when your mother believed it when you said you felt ill and you didn’t have to go to school? Recreate that inner freedom of spirit for yourself every morning.
You don’t have to decide what to wear each day, even if you are still in your dressing gown when you put the bins out no one will be around to see you.
If you are a schoolchild you are taking part in the biggest social experiment ever; if your exasperated parents call you a rat they just mean it affectionately, you are a laboratory rat. Perhaps the experiment will prove that actually nobody needs to go to school. If you had no friends at school you are a winner, nobody has any friends at school now.
Parents, if you are one of those families that appeared in that documentary, Twenty Two Children and Another on the Way, you are laughing, now is your time, with a ready made school and team sports. As you could never afford to go out anyway with all those children, life goes on much the same.
Adults, you don’t have to go to work, or if you have to work from home you can do it in your pyjamas.
You don’t have to go out, you don’t have to go to that boring party, your in-laws’ wedding, that tedious conference, parents’ evening, to the cinema to see that ghastly film your partner wanted to see and you don’t have to go to the dentist.
You can watch television all day long, especially twenty four hour corona coverage.
Tired of decision making? Remember waking up to sunny Saturdays and discussing how to make the most of a nice weekend? We must go somewhere, but where, a favourite place or somewhere new? A local walk or major expedition? Take a picnic or eat out? Shall we call Barbara and John and see if they want to meet up?
Ironically you will get to know your neighbours better, even if you do have to yell from your balcony, over the fence or across the road. They are home all the time and the ones that tried to avoid you are pitifully grateful when you wave to them.
Your dog is happy, very happy, never lonely and five walks a day with each member of the family going on their allotted outing.
If you are an introvert this is your time. No one is going to tell you that getting out more would be good for you.
You will have plenty of time to catch up with all those ( my ) books you wanted to read.
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
None really as I’ve worked from home for many years, and Zi’m still working, so it’s all a bit same old, same old.
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All the rest, reading, and the commodity not to keep by time…
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Yes no need for clocks let alone calendars!
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We both work from home and as we dislike shopping only go once a week. Our life hasn’t really seen much change. What we can buy when we get to a shop was impacted for a while, but nothing that was serious. I’ve actually started to go out more as I’ve been going out more for daily short walks (we’re semi rural – so no issues). I think it’s made us appreciate more what we already have and be grateful for it. I’d like to think that once this crisis is over other people will too.
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Shopping for fun was already fading away with department stores closing and high streets emptying, so no great loss there. Yes, I think lots of people are glad of their daily walk when previously they wouldn’t have bothered. Sounds like you will survive well Jill!
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In our 100 bedroom mansion, we can still go out and shoot the odd peasant foraging for food and if we need anything else we just send Jeeves into the village. Of course he must shower in disinfectant on his return and deliver our groceries to the front door naked but I’m sure he doesn’t mind. After all he has his little gatehouse flat to isolate in after he’s finished with the dogs, horses and other livestock.
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Sounds great where you are Doug!
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I am busy than every, Janet, with home schooling and working from home. We are not allowed out to walk dogs either.
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I can imagine that Robbie, with the home schooling as well, no time to get bored. Poor dogs, but it’s probably the only way. Being allowed out once a day is open to interpretation and there is lots of sniping on our local social media about ‘gatherings’.
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We don’t have dogs and our cats are home bodies. There is no easy way for people right now, Janet. Isolation is unnatural for people and so they resent it and flout the rules. I also believe that modern people have lost touch with incurable illnesses and death so there is a lot of disbelief.
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Yet to find any advantages. I’ll keep looking for the next two months.
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Let us know if you find any Pete!
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this sheltering place stuff does have its benefits!
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Good point, Janet — this is when introverts have the edge.
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The actual physical aspects of my day-to-day life have barely changed, but emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, I’m in a whole ‘nuther universe – some good, some bad, but everything turned completely on its head. Nothing is the same. Nothing will be the same.
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No, being home based anyway helps, but I can’t or daren’t see beyond a few weeks.
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Now’s not the time to look that far ahead anyway. 🙂
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Good points. Anyone suffering FOMO (no me!) will be mightily relieved we’re all in the same boat – unless they fear online cocktail parties and such proceedig without them. I am still at work, only from home, but not thinking about clothes is great. I am probably in a minority, but if we all started wearing regulation ‘Chairman Mao’ pyjamas from tomorrow, that’d be fine – very little interest in clothes. Black tops and jeans every day – yay!
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I didn’t envy those who were dashing about on world cruises or trekking through Peru, but as Cyberspouse is one of those on the twelve week lockdown, I might just start envying friends on their quick visits to Aldis!
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I miss dressing up for work…
Great piece!❤
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You can still dress up at home if you like.
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yeah….true…
its not the same though
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