These days, Facebook is rife with political discussions and the sharing of experiences at the grocery store. Along with my Mylar balloon adventures, I’ve ranted about a particular leader and gave the Acme a shoutout because they had most of the items I needed. My heart goes out to people facing eviction and job losses due to the Coronavirus. I’m wondering if reopening businesses slowly with social distancing and masking might provide a hedge against sickness and poverty. At some point, the economy has to resume. A time comes when to say when.

It’s taking longer to write these days; for example, three days to write this blog. I’ll need to revisit the fine details in my WIP. My protag should have trouble finding meat, cleaning products, and toilet paper at least once or twice. However, she needn’t worry about learning Zoom since she doesn’t belong to any clubs. Besides, during a zombie apocalypse, she’ll be lucky to get any electricity, let alone the Internet. My protag may continue to buy balloons since they’re still finding their way to my cart. Dat’s wight, wabbits, the balloons are still calling to me.

These days, going to the supermarket gives a lot of people anxiety. However, the thought of having stuff delivered causes me angst. I know someone who scheduled a delivery that hasn’t materialized. That person’s running out of food. Others reported that they only got half of the items. Attempting to order groceries online necessitates a lot of uninterrupted time on the computer, a big no-no for someone with severe dry eye disease. I take my dry eye seriously, as the blurred vision can cause an issue with driving.

The time came when to say when as far as angst goes. My balloons and I agreed on a plan. I can go to the supermarket and run other essential errands if I arm myself with a sanitizer, a mask, and gloves. Per my balloons’ orders—yep, they’re da boss—I check my temperature before going on an errand. New Mylar purchases get handled with gloves and set aside for three days before they go on a balloon tree. I’ve been generous with disinfectant, and I work out with HASfit videos. According to my balloons, exercise is good for the immune system. Before refills, my balloons ask me to wash my hands long enough to sing a balloon lyric.

The hardest thing for me is missing out on family gatherings, writers’ events, volunteering at Ben Wilson Senior Center (yes, the folks there love my balloons), and lunch with my close friends. I sincerely regret not retiring sooner because I would have had that much more time with my peeps. However, I did make a few writing events on Zoom. So far, I’ve been maintaining my health, and I’m grateful for that. I hope all of you are staying well and keeping safe. How are you dealing with the pandemic? Any regrets? How has it affected your writing? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.