I read accounts of people’s unhealthy reactions to sheltering at home — some are meant to be humorous, but it’s humor with a twist — and I feel something like survivor’s guilt. In truth, we’re not having that hard a time of it, and I’m grateful for our good fortune. (See the inaugural post on this blog, Training for It.)

The Washington Post ran a profile of seven people having trouble establishing healthy habits under the new dispensation: The new normal is getting old fast. Facebook is full of funny-not-funny memes and videos of people’s good intentions crumbling week by week as the stay-at-home regimen drags on. I appreciate the humor, but don’t share the angst.

It has been 37 days of sheltering in place and I’m living pretty much as I was before this all began. I go to bed around 10:00 or 11:00 pm, get up at more or less the same time as always: 6:00, 6:30, maybe a bit earlier. I sleep OK, waking several times from 3:00 towards morning — pretty much the same as has been my pattern for some years now. I make coffee, post a daily dad joke, eat breakfast, get dressed — taking a shower first at least on those mornings when there is a Zoom scheduled. I work at my laptop most of the day, with breaks for a walk, doing laundry, taking out the recycling. Mealtimes are fairly regular and are not a lot different than they have ever been — except that perhaps our dinners are more pulled together now as Katharyn is planning the meals and shopping a week or two ahead.

We are both home-bodies and are comfortable reading, watching a film, or doing projects on our laptops with our cat keeping us company on the couch.

Our health is good, the house is snug, and the internet works.

The government stimulus money arrived this week. We are having a good time planning how to give it away to worthy charities and in support of our favorite local businesses.

I feel blessed. Not everyone has it this good. Survivor’s guilt leaks in around the edges.