My Experience:
I was in the US until March 10th, arrived back here March 11th right as the whole country shut down. It was really surreal going from no restrictions whatsoever, from no sense that this was a pandemic, to total restrictions.
I spent the first two or three days here in a state of shock and denial at the weirdness of it all. Also because my suitcase got lost on the trip back due to my cancelled flights, and finally arrived on the last plane into Florence airport before they shut it-was very glad to see that suitcase and at least get my belongings under control.
Loss of control- that’s been the game changer for me, for all of us. Loss of control-Over your life, and the life of your family, over your work. Over your future. Very scary.
But! You CAN take control over keeping yourself and your family and your community safe. That control is still yours. And you CAN choose to relax and find the silver linings in shut down mode. Be loving, be positive, be grateful for what you have. For this beautiful place we live in. I have never been as proud of Italy as I am right now.
I bet you’re reaching out to friends and family like never before, I know I am. The outreach reminds me of how it was in the US after 911.
Be kind to yourself. I’m eating a lot more treats and telling myself it’s okay. And then doing a lot more pilates and exercises and getting in my steps to burn off the extra calories! And I have time to do it in! Not as much time as I thought, because for some reason I seem to be amazingly busy, but still, more time that I had before. I really, really appreciate all those people who are offering online courses and public outreach. And keep those silly whatsapps and FB videos coming…
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I’m also telling myself it’s okay to binge watch on Netflix. Stops me from binging on virus info on the internet, which I can get into doing too much of. And if you feel the zest to finally get that novel written or that afghan knitted, more power to you, but I also think it’s okay to just be.
And when you come right down to it, do we really have control over our future in normal times? NO…we just delude ourselves that we do. Covid 19 has swept away that illusion…in a way it’s a metaphor for the fickleness of fate.
Keep a journal or a photo diary, because you will want to remember this time…
Do YOU have the feeling that time is elastic, elongating and shrinking like it did when you were a kid? Each week seems to last a month, or zoom by with multiple zoom sessions, and its easy to loose track of what day it is.
I think this idea of letting go, of not trying to be in control, will help us adapt to what is going to happen in the long phase of slowly coming out of total shutdown.
Silver Lining
I also wanted to add “my favorite silver lining – if someone had told me that I was going to spend a month quarantined in the house with my husband I would have imagined us constantly bickering, but the opposite is true. All the pettiness we are both capable of has miraculously washed away, and we are getting along great. We’ve rediscovered how much we love each other! I even think he looks cuter…”