Seeking Positivity in a Pandemic

Thinking in a positive way is a choice.

The sun outside my door
is a welcomed sight.

Two weeks of quarantine has become a month-and-a-half. The last time I went to the Y was Friday, the 13th. Of March. If only it was a joke.

I remember wanting to get in one more day on the stationary bike knowing that things were starting to shutdown. I kind of laughed off how few people were at the gym.

Since then, I’ve gone through various stages of coping. Prepared for more than a two-week shutdown, I never anticipated what has occurred. I went through a brief stage of panic and fear, wondering if things would ever be normal again, brought on by stories of hoarding and empty grocery store shelves. I also watched too many interviews of anyone who could claim the remotest of expertise about the pandemic wagging their finger at the public telling us that the things we love wouldn’t return any time soon.

Frustration soon settled in. It was bad enough I couldn’t go anywhere because of the Coronavirus. There was no escaping it. Sports weren’t being played and a re-start date still isn’t set. Local news was constantly breaking in to programming to announce the latest death toll. Even music radio stations were giving updates every half hour. I felt trapped. I even struggled to do my stretching exercises because I watch TV for a distraction as I do them, and I just didn’t want to hear the constant barrage of bad news.

Eventually, I had to make a choice to seek out positive things to focus on. Turning off the news was self-defense. I got into a semblance of a routine—working out, keeping my website active, and watching things on TV or the internet that I knew wouldn’t be interrupted. I’m finally adding the slightest of reading and writing. Oddly, I do more of both when I’m active. I’m guessing it has something to do with feeling stimulated.

As I write, I just finished my best week of workouts during the quarantine. Sunny days have never been more appreciated. They allow me to get outside for a walk in my power wheelchair or, better yet, to ride my bike. Luckily, I live in a neighborhood where I can easily do so and maintain social distancing. Getting outdoors makes the entire day better. Seeking out “hills” (admittedly a generous description of these inclines) on my bike and doing “The Wall” has me hopeful that I can improve my leg strength despite the Y closing. My lack of aerobic activity concerns me. Cycling in the neighborhood doesn’t increase my heart rate the way riding the stationary does, but it’s a start.

I’ve stayed consistent working my upper body, which I was doing at home before the shutdown. In fact, I think I’ve made gains in that area. I’ve been a little less consistent with my core, but I have at least maintained my strength there.

I’ve been keeping the blog fresh with new content. I’m proud of the interview I posted in April (with a major assist by the interviewee!). Though I couldn’t get Zoom going on my phone—I’m not sure if it was me or the fact that I have an Android—I purchased a webcam to start using the app. I think the small investment will expand the pool of people I can interview.

In fact, I’ve decided that I need to do some more “investing” in more of my goals. It’s part of my current phase of telling myself I’m going to do more when lock down ends. I’m guessing it’s a popular one.

As glimmers of hope that we will start getting back to normal shine through the darkness . . . dear God, please soon! I need a frikkin’ ballgame to watch! . . . I have a sense of wanting to push for what I want out of life more than ever. I’ve always been conservative with money, knowing I’m partially supported by family and don’t have much income. Even when I won “big” gambling on football last season, I put my winnings in the bank and started over with my original deposit. It’s a prudent strategy, but also a limiting one.

I do the same thing in marketing my work. I’ve self-published three books, but never bought an advertisement for any of them. I’ll spend some money, but it’s always within limits.

Even my efforts in my personal life need to improve.

It’s a bit cliché, I know. And a “new Rob” is not emerging from lock down.

I do, however, plan to expand my efforts. Instead of worrying that I might waste money if my plans don’t pan out, I need to take the positive approach and give them a real opportunity to be successful.

I had just started looking into creating “Reach Past Your Limits” T-shirts to support my new motivational e-book when the Coronavirus pandemic caused the shutdown. I’m looking forward to making that happen. I want Reach Past Your Limits to be more than an e-book. It needs to be an attitude.

It also needs to be part of my goal to builda rec center geared towards people with disabilities. The loneliness, boredom, fear, and frustration, we’re all feeling during the shutdown are the same emotions many people with disabilities experience in their daily lives. I don’t like hijacking headlines and relating them to disability, but the parallels between quarantine life and life with a disability for many are tough to miss. Changing that is exactly why I want to build the rec center. I don’t know how yet, but Reach Past Your Limits needs to be part of accomplishing my goal.

I’m using some of the same techniques discussed in the book to stay motivated to workout right now and to pursue my other endeavors. I hope the book as well as the videos and interviews I do for the website help readers do the same.