Open Thread, Round Two: Lockdown Pastimes
Our readers are so busy staying busy they haven’t had time to share what they are doing going into the third month of lockdown, so we ran this Open Thread for a second week.
And more than a hundred of you told us how you are staying occupied. Here’s the breakdown:
Walking or other physical activity: 34 percent
Learning something new: 24 percent
Doing craft projects: 18 percent
Zoom or other online visiting with family and friends: 14 percent
Binge watching TV: 10 percent.
We were amazed by the range and creativity of the solutions in the comments. Some folks amped their musical skills, others found creative ways to do volunteer work or finally tackled a creative project. We’ll be keeping this up for a while so more people can share or find ideas. Go for it!
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City each week. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.
Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash
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Comments
I’m a retired music teacher. I went back to making music and sharing with friends and my church families. I’m having to learn new technology and reacquaint myself with programs I haven’t touched for 10 years. I reached out to friends in other states to collaborate with.
what instrument do you teach and have you considered offering classes online?
I must say that I miss attending Senior Planet’s Fit Fusion class twice a week and all The other events there that held interest for me; it is a friendly and creative place that was a big part of my life. Hopefully, it will reopen soon , so that I may have a routine in my life. Also, a big part of my routine was attending plays, going to the museums and meeting a friend at Bloomingdales for delicious yogurt and conversation. I had planned to go to Venice and Barcelona this summer, but unfortunately they needed to be cancelled. So now I am learning Hebrew through the Pinschler audiobooks. I am enthused and eager to spend an hour a day learning something new. I am spending more time experimenting with cooking recipes. I have discovered that my big black and white cat ,Botero, enjoys going for a daily walk In the pet stroller. ThIs not only gives me exercise,but gets me out of the apartment. I avidly read the news and love Netflix. I am eager to return to Senior Planet for more computer courses, and I am glad to see other seniors are finding optional outlets.
Will you be sponsoring any road trips or vacations this year?
I have a bunch of workout DVDs so I do that every morning. Sometime during the day I do a little Spanish on Duolingo. Then I figure I’ve been productive and the rest can be fun. I read novels, do a little coloring, go for walks, nap with my cat, chase my other cat around the house (his idea of fun), and binge watch tv (only watch TV at night).
Of course, I also obsessively check email and news, but I read online outlets that provide some thoughtful analysis and context. Trying to understand the world these days is a challenge.
Add to the list of things to do is Virtual Traveling so that when it safe to travel,
you’ll know where you want to go and what you want to see!
Try Rick Steves utubes and podcasts. Google travel tubes, etc