Dear Gabby,
I’m a 79-year-old widowed male, and lately I’ve noticed I haven’t the patience for all this social distancing. I’m not a grumpy old man, but what is a person to do with all this time of solitude? I know it’s for my best as well as others, but I need some suggestion to keep me busy before my mind goes on the blink!
What to do?
Richard
Dear Richard,
Sounds to me like you are suffering from an acute reaction to: NO FUN-DA-I-TIS. When was the last time you kicked off your shoes and walked barefoot in the grass? Don’t worry about those callused feet; trust me, they’ll enjoy a little tickle. Go fly a kite! You heard me right, it’s still March, and the winds are great for producing flying kites. So go fly a kite. You’ll be surprised at the rush of adrenaline when you’re kite begins to play tug-of-war with you. Kind of reminds you of the days when you were a child flying a kite without a care in the world. Which brings me to ...
Stop worrying! If you’re sitting around worrying all the time, that is depleting your body of energy and endorphins. You’ve got to increase your levels of endorphins so I suggest something really challenging: paper construction. It’s really very simple and exhilarating. Gather all the toilet paper rolls that you have, (hopefully, you were able to find a pack or two during this pandemic war on toilet paper) and begin building towers, castles, tunnels and secret forts right in your very own living room. Get creative and let those juices roll! If you find you’re short of rolls, then I suggest that you unroll the paper and create a massive spider’s web, or consider wrapping yourself up like a mummy and going outside on your front porch and scaring the daylights out of your neighbors. That’ll liven up your community, and you’ll get a major rush and be the talk of the town for weeks. You may even start a trend of toilet paper mummies! Now that’s a thought.
Well, Richard, I hope I have inspired you to get creative throughout our season of social distancing. I’ll leave you with a few simple words to remember: A rolling stone gathers no moss. And I’m not speaking of Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. No, I am referring to an old proverb meaning that one who remains active will not become complacent or hidebound.
Keep Rolling along,
Gabby
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE April 2 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB- THE INQUISITOR.