Currently is a monthly post to check in and chat about life. 

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Hey. Hi. We're officially in the Twilight Zone. ꩜

I sat down to write this post about 20 times over the last week and every single time I came up blank. I'm truly at a loss for words. One minute I'm cool and the next minute I'm super bugged out by the whole thing, ya know? This is fine. We're fine. Everything's fine!

How are you? I hope you're healthy and safe and staying relatively sane. That's all we can ask for right now, and that's okay. 

Navigating a global pandemic is certainly weird for everyone, but it's been especially strange for me since I got super sick with who-know's-what right around when this whole thing started - Friday the 13th, to be exact. After obsessively reading about *the* virus, I'm fairly confident that I just had a run-of-the-mill flu. But really, who knows? All I can tell you is that I was bed-ridden for a good 10 days and have since, thankfully, made a full recovery. Yes, if you're wondering, I've been self-isolating ever since. 

Adjusting back to regular life has been a real struggle since there's nothing regular about it anymore. I just sit and think about all of the things I should be doing and then find myself staring blankly into space wondering about the future. I think about the sheer volume of people this is impacting and feel the weight of it all. It's heavy. The hardest part is the uncertainty. None of us know if we'll come out of this relatively unscathed or devastated, and all we can do is hope and pray for the best. 

So that's where I'm at. I'm lucky to still have some work on my plate and I'm doing my best to manage the income streams that I lost, while also trying to figure out what to do with Soulberri, which is supposed to reopen next month. I'm incredibly grateful for my current situation, but still struggling to figure out how to manage life moving forward. I'm sure everyone feels the same way right now... which is tragic, yet oddly comforting.

In reality, just being alive and healthy right now is enough. The earth keeps spinning. The tides keep changing. The daffodils are still blooming. And this, too, shall pass. 

Here's what I have for ya this month:

How to pass time in the pandemic

Tap into those beauty treatments that are normally too annoying to do! I started doing weekly castor oil hair treatments at the start of the new year in attempt to make my hair grow, and guess what? It works! Now that we're social distancing, I've started doing it every other day in hopes that it will grow even faster. It's much easier to walk around with greasy hair when you can't leave the house: Organic Cold Pressed Castor Oil. (Amazon Prime Affiliate Link)

Start a garden! Social distancing couldn't be happening at a better time for starting a spring garden. Radishes, lettuces, kale, chard, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, peas, strawberries, beets and lots of different herbs can all be planted right now in the northeast. My friend Gary Pilarchik has some incredibly helpful gardening tutorials on his YouTube Channel. He's clear, informative and easy to follow. His videos have taught me so much! 

Draw, paint or color! Fun fact about me, I was a painting minor in college. I'm not that great at it, but I still enjoy a good paint session when I have the time. You don't have to be skilled or own any fancy equipment. Having an artistic outlet can be incredibly therapeutic, even if that means finger painting on notebook paper or coloring with your kid's crayons. Acrylic Paint Set. (Amazon Prime Affiliate Link)

Learn something new! Enroll in a class and actually force yourself to do the work. Skillshare and Masterclass are two great websites for learning a new skill. I have an Ice Cream Making class on Skillshare and have been dying to take David Sedaris' Masterclass on Storytelling and Humor.

Consider Therapy. Online therapists are affordable and can be extremely helpful in times of distress. I had a good experience with Talk Space when I was going through it a few years back and there are several other companies offering the same service. 

Helpful links

• So it's not just me? Is Anyone Else Just Barely Functioning Right Now? (Self) 
• We're all going through this together: That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief. (Harvard Business Review)
• We don't have the resources to help you all, let alone ourselves: Stay Away From our Jersey Shore Towns During Pandemic. (Philly Voice) 
• Corona Virus Stimulus Questions Answered: F.A.Q. on Stimulus Checks, Unemployment and the Coronavirus Plan (New York Times)
• Perspective is important: My Cousin Jack Survived the Unimaginable. Here’s His Advice for Right Now. (The Cut)

Currently Listening To

Good music is everything right now! This playlist has over 3 hours of mellow jams that are perfect for the strange times we're currently experiencing. Why is it called jammy eggs? Because it's jammy. And because eggs are symbolic of spring. And because jammy eggs are a thing. 

Currently Watching

• Thank goodness for streaming tv. The new season of Ozark is here just in time for us to have something new to watch because we've already watched everything else: Ozark Season 3. (Netflix)
• I'm sure you've at least heard about Tiger King, but if you still haven't watched and love a good train wreck, well, it's the weirdest one I've ever seen. Rumor has it that our national treasure Kate McKinnon will be starring in a series about Exotic Joe and company, and I am here for it: Yes, Kate McKinnon Is Set to Play Tiger King’s Carole Baskin. (Vanity Fair)

Currently Cooking

• For boosting immunity and for flavor: Garlic Honey. (Coley Cooks)
• Nostalgic little chocolate cream cheese cupcakes: Black Bottom Cupcakes. (Sugar Spun Run)
• Because it's spring for crying out loud: Peas with Prosciutto and Ricotta. (Coley Cooks)
• A Puerto Rican layered casserole with sweet plantains, spiced meat and cheese: Pastelon. (Delish D'Lites)
• A kid-friendly activity that will stock your freezer for future meals: Sweet Potato Gnocchi. (Coley Cooks)
• Broccoli, but make it comfort food: Broccoli Cheddar and Wild Rice Casserole. (Smitten Kitchen)

“Be patient where you sit in the dark, the dawn is coming.” - Rumi

Wash your hands, don't touch your face and try your best to stay sane,

<3 Coley

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