What creative endeavors became casualties of COVID and it’s resultant pandemic in your life last year? What succumbed to the over-arching need to survive? The beaded bracelets shown in the photo below show two of the pastimes that disappeared from my life: Beading and Bunco.

The showdown: fear vs. fun.

Bunco is a frivolous game, one that kept a dozen ladies’ hands occupied while they gossiped, but every players’ home became closed to outside visitors as soon as California’s mandatory homestay order was in place. While our climate provided great weather, so that we could have moved outside, collectively we were too afraid to consider this option. Was the virus airborne? How to keep the tabletops and dice pristine? Deterge the dice with Tide and douse the tabletops with Clorox? How could we drink wine and kibbitz while wearing masks? Should we don surgical gloves?

The loss of pastimes was okay because I cherished my writing hobby that  had become my encore career. In addition the thought of tossing dirty dice – and gossiping – no longer has any appeal. Good riddance to both elements in my life. Writing was reclusive – and safe!

Baking-as-pastime increased in value and, because my husband and I are the only two in our household, the banana nut bread and brownies became a tasty means to build bonds in our quiet cup-de-sac-based neighborhood.

My smiling delivery of the goodies also gave me a reason to exercise.
A blast from the past to showcase a special event and a special garment: https://www.pjcolando.com/nothing-says-loving-pillsbury-says-it-best/

My husband and I have been experiencing as much difficulty as we emerge from the cocoon as we did when forced to enter it fourteen months ago. It’s as if we’ve been suspended into a frozen fugue state for so long, we’ve forgotten how to walk and talk like the successful human beings we were.

Weren’t we?