Hiatus Announcement! (And also a tag)

Hey there, peeps! Hope things are all well and good on your side of the Internet, and that you’re having a lovely Memorial Day!

As you can see from this post’s title, I’ve got an unusual announcement to make: I’ve decided to take a month’s hiatus from blogging. I still plan on sending out my monthly newsletter on June 3, and I’ll be reposting some of my older articles for the next five Mondays just to keep the blog alive. But I need time to focus on some other things right now, and if I don’t have to generate brand-new content every week, it’ll be helpful.

That said, I was tagged by WinterFlower of the Waiting For Spring blog last week, and I’d still like to do it as my final post for May. Feel free to take this tag and run with it on your own blogs–or share your own thoughts on my answers in the comments! Social distancing and quarantining are very relatable subjects these days, and I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂

The Social Distancing Tag

What’s your current attitude toward COVID-19 and social distancing (honestly)?

I really want to “do my little bit” in protecting the compromised folks in my community. I am starting to suspect that–ahem–Certain Authorities are getting too comfy with the level of control they have over the citizenry, but that doesn’t mean that I think COVID-19 itself is something to dismiss lightly.

Has your schedule become busier or more open as a result of social distancing?

Well, I didn’t have many activities outside my home to begin with. I was pretty involved in my church, though, and since choir practice and Sunday worship have been eliminated from my schedule, Wednesdays and weekends are much quieter than they used to be. Yoga class and our weekly Walmart trip have gone by the wayside, too, so Fridays have become an extra writing day.

If you were public schooled before COVID hit, how has your experience with homeschooling been (whatever that looks like for you)? If you were already homeschooled, how has COVID affected you or not?

Since I haven’t been in school in ten years, I can’t speak too much on this subject, haha. But my homeschooling siblings have caught up on a lot of schoolwork these past two months!

How are you staying connected with people?

A lot of texting. Some phone calls. My sister and her baby still come over once a week to visit us. I’ve been able to participate in a drive-by birthday party and two different birthday card campaigns, as well.

How do you wish people would connect with you?

I don’t really have any complaints on this front. I think we’re all just doing our best.

What has been the most difficult part of social distancing?

Not being able to worship with my church family. Not only do I miss congregational singing and Communion, but I often find myself very lonesome for my friends–especially my choir buddies.

Have any blessings come out of it?

Life runs at a slower pace, which is always good. I’ve gotten a lot of good writing done. We’ve been able to rest more.

What’s been most encouraging to you through social distancing?

Seeing all the ways in which families have been able to grow closer and spend more time with each other has been pretty awesome. My family is very close-knit, so it warms my heart to watch others experience that same closeness and camaraderie.

Have you learned anything new or made any accomplishments during this time? (Even small ones)

Yeah! I won Camp NaNoWriMo, wrote two articles for Cultivating, got my first rejection letter from a publisher (and it was a personal letter, no less–very informative and encouraging!), and got back to walking a mile every morning.

Is there anything you want to achieve or learn or do before social distancing ends?

I WANNA GO TO WALMART. I know, it sounds so trivial, haha! BUT I WANNA GO TO WALMART. I just want to SHOP. And SEE PEOPLE (in writer-speak, that means “people-watch”). And BROWSE THE MOVIE SECTION. And STROLL THROUGH THE BAKERY. (I do love the bakery.)

So that’s my tag…and my cue to close the curtains and dim the lights for a few weeks. Remember, the newsletter still goes out next Wednesday (be sure to sign up if you haven’t already), I’ll be recycling some of my older posts…and you’ll still be able to find me on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll be back with brand-new reviews and articles in July!

P.S. I realized this weekend that many of the links in my Movie, Book, Music, and Television pages were broken due to the change in my domain name earlier this year–but they’re all fixed now. Peruse to your heart’s content!