The pandemic has been hard on everyone. But it has been less of a problem for some.
I do believe that the more simple your life was before the pandemic, the less the response to the virus would have had on your life.
Say you lived in a cave, or remote cabin in the woods. How would you even know it was all going on? But not many people live in caves or remote cabins.
Although the response by governments is difficult for even ordinary simplified folks to avoid, being less hooked into mainstream society certainly provides benefits in dealing with the fallout.
In my home, the impact has been minimal. Here are a few things that have helped.
1. We quit fast food a couple of decades ago, then quit going to restaurants altogether shortly after that. Closures and vax passes have not affected us one bit.2. We have not traveled internationally since 2001, and quit traveling domestically around 2005. Travel restrictions? No problem.3. We quit recreational driving in 2005, then gave up car ownership for good in 2018. Good thing - by 2020 there was nowhere to go anyway.4. Shopping for anything but the basics has been a way of life for us for many years. Now I haven't been in a store for two years... and I love it. I may never go into a store again.5. When Linda went into a wheelchair in 2011, we both went into a closer-to-home lifestyle. I chose to retire early to be able to be Linda's full time caregiver. It entailed making some sacrifices, but it suited our desire to live more simply. We voluntarily "locked down" far before it became a thing imposed from above. When stay at home mandates became a thing we hardly noticed.
I think it is fair to say that the more simply one lived before the era of lockdowns and restrictions on movement and everything else, the easier it has been to deal with the past two years.
That has certainly been our experience.
Now that things have changed so dramatically in the way people are expected to live, simplifying one's life has never been more attractive.
The way things are going, restrictions are unlikely to end soon, or at all.
Increasing simplicity is a great way to lessen their impact.
I think I remember your saying you rode a bike to go where you wanted to go. How does Linda get to the doctor or whatever services she needs? What caused her to be confined to a wheelchair?
ReplyDeleteMy bicycle is now my main form of transportation... besides my feet.
DeleteThere is a group in our area that provides subsidized, accessible transportation for seniors and the handicapped. We can both use this service, and it costs twenty dollars per trip for the two of us because caregivers ride free. I can also use it alone for twenty bucks. The only time we have used it so far is to get to the dentist.
Linda has multiple sclerosis.
I could say the same for us. We are not the "going out" type. We have focused more on our home in the past two years, preparing for our retirement. We have both worked through the whole pandemic and thankfully we haven't gotten sick as we've been taking precautions the best that we can.
ReplyDeleteAnother benefit of not going out is avoiding getting sick. We have also been well this entire time. It is great that you and your hubs have stayed healthy. You are obviously doing something right.
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