Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Escape

I escaped for half an hour today. Just half an hour. It was necessary. It was needed. It had to be done in the name of sanity.And it was wonderful.

Who knew that running down the street to the supermarket could be so therapeutic?

Maybe because the day before I didn't make it out the front gate, I barely made it out the front door, only running down to the car to get something I'd forgotten.  Spending over eleven hours in front of the computer is far too much - on the good side of things, two hours were spent at school in the online classroom, another hour chatting with the girls from my book group. But still. Yesterday it was just me and the cat and my virtual world.

Maybe it was because this was a bit of a clandestine breakout which made it sweeter - a between meetings jaunt during work hours. Working from home you have a bit of leeway. Starting early, working later, taking breaks when you want. I snuck out just before 12. I drove down there. If I had a bit more time I would have walked, but just the act of getting in the car was enough to relieve some tension.

My shopping list was small, but necessary. Salad, veggies, hand wash if I could find it, Worcestershire Sauce (Basic staple when you have cheese on toast regularly - my old bottle ran out). But I needed fresh vegetables. This wasn't an arbitrary visit to the supermarket. The last time I was there was Saturday.

A visit to the cash machine so I could pay the personal trainer.

A visit to the washroom directly after to wash my hands - god knows who's been at the cash machine. God knows when the last time they were cleaned.

A quick chat with the Soap Guy. He's still there in the complex. Most of the other shops and half the food shop are closed.

A quick run around Coles. I didn't linger. People were keeping their distance. I watched with interest and the kid on the checkout wiped down the scanner. He was wearing gloves. I packed my own groceries - no issue there.

Bakers Delight beckoned. I found a bun. It's still not South Australian bakery culture, but a bun is never a bad thing.

A free coffee at my coffee shop - I had one on my coffee card.

Then home.

Out and back in forty minutes.

And for those forty minutes, things felt normal again.

(What was even better, I escaped again at the end of the day, walking back to the shopping centre, through the doors, and out to meet Cleo for a personal training session in the park. Somehow I managed 12500 steps today. It felt so good to be active for a change)

Today's Song:


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